Encyclopedia of Shinto

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カテゴリー1： 5. Rites and Festivals
カテゴリー2： State Rites
Title
Shinnen enkai
Text
The official "New Year's Banquet" held at the Imperial Palace on January 5 before World War II, and to which the emperor invited the imperial family, high-level government officials, ambassadors, and others. Also invited were holders of the Grand Order of Merit, officials personally appointed by the emperor, princes, Junior First rank officials, holders of highest honors for service to country, the Head of the Upper House, the Head of the House of Representatives, and the ambassadors and ministers of foreign countries. The banquet would usually start at noon in the Hōmei Hall of the Imperial Palace with the emperor's New Year greetings, followed by a response from one of the ambassadors on behalf of all the ambassadors present. Then, the Prime Minister would pronounce a speech on behalf of the Cabinet. Ceremonial bugaku dances would be performed as part of the banquet.
New Year Banquet is an ancient tradition. Banquets held on the first day of the New Year, including the gantan no serai and the gantan no enkai, appear in ceremonial documents dating from the Heian period. After the Meiji Restoration, a number of religious rituals and ceremonies were revived while others were established anew. Holding the banquet on the first day of the year proved difficult, and therefore it was moved to the fifth.
— Sakamoto Koremaru

Pronunciation in Japanese/用語音声

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