Hari-Kuyo

 I saw this on a couple of blogs today and I thought it was so beautiful that I thought that I just had to share it myself.

"In Japan, Hari Kuyō, or Needle Memorial Services, are held at Buddhist

 temples and Shinto shrines to give thanks to needles for their hard 

work throughout the year.  

A tradition from the Heian period usually attended by seamstresses

 and housewives, it aligns with the Japanese concept of not simply 

throwing items away, but properly disposing of them in a way 

that seems respectful.

This happens on February 8th in the Kanto region and on December 8th in the Kyoto and Kansai regions.

At Hōrin-ji temple in Arashiyama on December 8^th, attendees, mostly women, come to pay their respects.  In the temple’s main hall a service is held by the monks

to symbolically lay the needles to rest, and lucky paper amulets are 

distributed to attendees quick enough to get one.  

Four women dressed in Nara period attire perform an Orihime Dance

in honor of Orihime, the heavenly weaver as an offering before the altar,

and attendees are encouraged to take one of the needles laid out and place

them in large blocks of konyaku jelly with a prayer.  It's said Hōrin-ji's ceremony

was started for needles used in the imperial household, 

and they still perform this service for such needles to this day.

Source: https://www.discoverkyoto.com/event-calendar/december/hari-kuyo-horinji/

But before I go, I did want to remind you to check out my 1000th Post Giveaway, 

which I would love you to enter.

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as I do love a good chat,

hugs,