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Post by Danjo on Dec 22, 2013 14:45:52 GMT -5
Lore:
In feudal Japan, worshipers celebrated the return of Ameratasu, the sun goddess, who slept in a cold, remote cave. When the the other gods woke her with a loud celebration, she looked out of the cave and saw an image of herself in a mirror. The other gods convinced her to emerge from her seclusion and return sunlight to the universe.
The oldest tales of Amaterasu come from the ca. 680 AD Kojiki and ca. 720 AD Nihon Shoki, the oldest records of Japanese history. In Japanese mythology, Amaterasu, the goddess of the sun, is the sister of Susanoo, the god of storms and the sea, and of Tsukuyomi, the god of the moon. It was written that Amaterasu had painted the landscape with her siblings to create ancient Japan. All three were born from Izanagi, when he was purifying himself after entering Yomi, the underworld, after failing to save Izanami. Amaterasu was born when Izanagi washed out his left eye, Tsukuyomi was born from the washing of the right eye, and Susanoo from the washing of the nose.
She became the ruler of the sun and the heavens along with her brother, Tsukuyomi, the god of the moon and ruler of the night. Originally, Amaterasu shared the sky with Tsukuyomi, her husband and brother until, out of disgust, he killed the goddess of food, Uke Mochi, when she pulled "food from her rectum, nose, and mouth" This killing upset Amaterasu causing her to label Tsukuyomi an evil god and split away from him; separating night from day.
The texts also tell of a long-standing rivalry between Amaterasu and her other brother, Susano. When he was to leave Heaven by orders of Izanagi, he went to bid his sister goodbye. Amaterasu was suspicious, but when Susanoo proposed a challenge to prove his sincerity, she accepted. Each of them took an object of the other's and from it birthed gods and goddesses. Amaterasu birthed three women from Susano's sword while he birthed five men from her necklace. Claiming the gods were hers because they were born of her necklace, and the goddesses were his, she decided that she had won the challenge, as his item produced women. The two were content for a time, but her brother became restless and went on a rampage, destroying Amaterasu's rice fields, hurling a flayed pony at her loom, and killing one of her attendants in a fit of rage. Amaterasu, who was in fury and grief, hid inside the Ama-no-Iwato ("heavenly rock cave"), thus effectively hiding the sun for a long period of time. Though she was persuaded to leave the cave, Susanoo was punished by being banished from Heaven. Both later amended their conflict when Susanoo gave her the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi sword as a reconciliation gift.
According to legend, Amaterasu bequeathed to her descendant Ninigi the mirror, Yata no Kagami; the jewel, Yasakani no Magatama, and the sword, Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. This sacred mirror, jewel, and sword collectively became the three Imperial Regalia of Japan.
Cited.
The word solstice comes from the Latin words "sun" and "to stop", due to the fact that the Sun seems to stop in the sky. The Sun is directly overhead at "high-noon" on Winter Solstice at the latitude called the Tropic of Capricorn. In the Northern Hemisphere, the solstice days are the days with the fewest hours of sunlight during the whole year.
The winter solstice has historically been a day for celebration. This tradition started with an ancient fear that the fading light would never return unless humans kept watch and had a huge celebration.
Solstice Observances
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Post by Danjo on Dec 22, 2013 15:26:46 GMT -5
The Three Day Festival:
The three day winter festival has become a joyous celebration every year in the land of wind, with each larger city or village having their own exclusive practice customs. Though very small things may be different, most practices have resoundingly remained the same.
The festival is usually broken up into a three day portion for many different reasons but mainly it is done in this fashion to allow each day to have its specific practice.
The First Day:
The first day is when it begins obviously, merchants set up shops in the streets, vendors can be seen from all sorts of different places. Selling rare and interesting items, as well as things mainly used to heighten the celebration. Food, drink, small and large nick-knacks, and simple around the eye covering special masks worn for the different days processions.
The opening parade, this is the parade that is done quickly and simply usually for the distance of a quarter of a mile. This is a short procession in which people in simple masks as well as a large puppet shaped in the likeness of Amaterasu descends into her cave, metaphorically hiding away the sun.
The Second Day:
The second days all of the merchants continue selling their wares but celebration enraptures the city with the second day being considered to be the most important day of celebration. People drink and celebrate dancing in the streets, meeting and greeting one another, all surrounded by the different sights to be seen. Performers of different interesting feats, puppet shows for children, as well as musicians can be seen everywhere. It is hard to move through the city at some points as people have congested the flow of traffic surrounding such acts.
Though these celebrations do bring out a joyous side in people it does occasionally happen that people forget especially in Sunagakure that shinobi are watching, getting into fist fights or trying to steal from merchants. Though especially in Sunagakure the roaming Anbu squads as well as other ninja or always quick to respond.
After a full day of feasting and celebrating the day is not over yet, later in the evening just as midnight is to pass is considered to be the most important time to be loud and boisterous in celebration. For it is this celebration that wakes Amaterasu, in the mythology.
So upon midnights passing as everyone screams and hollers another procession passes through the streets this time with multiple large puppets representing the other gods trying to celebrate to wake Amaterasu from her slumber.
The procession is brought to an end when the puppets arrive at the location of where the Amaterasu puppet has been left for the festival. Then the master of ceremonies, usually the most important person of note (kage,lord,etc) holds up a beautiful mirror before the large gathered crowd of people. The crowd yells and celebrates, which is normally followed by a grand fireworks show above the procession grounds. Followed by several more hours of celebration and dancing.
The Third Day:
This is the day where the celebration is brought to a close, it is started in the early morning light as a procession of the puppets walks through the streets. A metaphor for the waking of Amaterasu and the return of the suns light. There is not as much celebrating as the days before, namely because of hangovers etc., but this practice is still done in order to bring closure to the festival and the "ritual" of this celebration.
Usually this is when most people are the quietest of the three days, visiting one another and practicing whichever their own personal or family belief may be.
Note:
Though this celebration is not meant to be deeply religious in all aspects, it is still practiced just the same. Considered to be the wind countries version of a Macy's day parade, or some other regionally celebrated holiday even if the "religious" aspect is only part of the history and not actually forced or believed even by those whom perform it.
Also this is in no way meant to offend any persons beliefs or personal religion, it is only a idea for plot. Meant to enrich the current story lines in Sunagakure as well as bring depth to the world.
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Post by Danjo on Dec 23, 2013 19:25:04 GMT -5
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