What is Oosouji 大掃除

Japanese has many rituals around ending and beginning of the year. Saying goodbye to the old year to welcome the new. Bounenkai 忘年会 literally translates to 'Forget Year Meeting', typically an office party celebrating the end of another calendar year. 23rd is a public holiday to mark the Emperor's Birthday Tenno-Tanjyoubi天皇誕生日 (which will be renamed the Retired Emperor's Birthday Joou-Tanjyoubi 上皇誕生日soon). Christmas is acknowledged as a fun event in schools, an excuse for couples to go on dates, and decoration enthusiasts to put the tree up and bake intricate cakes. Food preparation for New Year's Day is also important - if not cooked in traditional family or regional way, then ordering packs of Osechi ryouri おせち料理 are sorted at the local supermarket or department store. (Small versions or segments are also available at Seven Eleven, which makes me wish it was available at MY local Seven Eleven.)

On the last week of the year, something similar to Spring Cleaning, is done to the house. Oosouji literally means 'Big Clean'. That is, top to bottom dusting to vacuum, throwing out rubbish or sorting out donations, every single room. It is a family job. The intention is to purify the environment to start the year fresh, but it also serves as a clean space for visitors (eg extended family), as well as respect for visiting Spirits/Gods.

There are several guidelines on how to Oosouji:

• Start at the top. Dust, then windows and walls, and finally the floors.
• Start at the entrance and work clockwise. This method follows the Feng Shui map, and allows the energy to exit the house.
• Have several boxes prepared in each room to place items to discard. These can be sorted for donation.
• Involve the family so they have a say in what stays and goes, and individually take responsibility for their own banishing of old energy.

Before.

There were furniture sitting outside that needed to go, which took about 6 months to find someone willing to take it to the tip for us. It finally happened yesterday! In total the removal could be said it took 4 years, when the 2-seater couch got removed during the initial clean-out at the end of 2012.

After (yes I know there's still stuff on the little table).

As I used my Norwex dust mit and the window cloth yesterday at the cleaning job I washed it overnight, today's cleaning happened backwards. Floors first, while I waited for the items to dry. Windows and mirrors next, and then finally dusting using the freshly-dried mit.

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I endeavor to continue space clearing for year 2018. Happy New Year and thank you for reading!