first market

Carpe Diem #644, 

First Market (Hatsuchi)

Another first in Japan that requires a celebration is First Market. The First Market is the day to purchase a daruma doll for good luck.  One, also, is to return last year's daruma doll but not before thanking it for all it did for you last year.  The monks will later burn all the returned dolls in yet another ceremony. Japanese culture is rich in traditions, customs, ceremony and celebrations.  

Husband and I went to the market for the first time this year last Sunday.  We had become the 'out house', lacking many of daily necessities like milk, eggs and bath tissue.  We did not take a daruma to be burned by a monk nor did we buy a new daruma for good luck in 2015.  We did take the plastic bags for recycling and purchased said essentials plus some other stuff, lots of other stuff.  We placed the newly purchased items in reusable bags thus eliminating the need to bring plastic bags for recycling the next time.  Guess we have some traditions in our daily life, too.

shelves bare

shopping for luck

daruma 

up in smoke

new one winks

©  Janice Adcock

PS:  We did purchase nuts, meats and fish for Husband to cook in his egg shaped smoker.  Yummy good stuff.

Thanks to Chèvrefeuille for daily prompts on 

CARPE DIEM HAIKU KAI