In Japan, while Christmas is a popular commercial holiday, it's not even an official national holiday (schools are still in session for example in most areas). The big holiday of this time of year is the New Year's period (お正月 o-shougatsu), including January 1st itself and the days following it. O-shougatsu can either mean New Year's Day itself, or the holiday period after it up to the 7th day after New Year's Day. Most people get at least the first three days of the new year off work and school, and many get the whole week off.
The New Year period really starts around this time of year. The busy end-of-year period is called 師走 (しわす shiwasu), which literally means the master (or teacher/elder - 師 shi) runs around - meaning that it's such a busy time of the year that even the elders are not still. Shiwasu culminates on New Year's Eve, called 大晦日 (おおみそか oh-misoka). Housewives in particular are busy, since tradition dictates that the house must be made clean from top to bottom, and the New Year's feast all prepared, before the new year can be welcomed. (My mom used to lay out new underwear and pyjamas for us every New Year's eve, so we could greet the new year with pristine underpants I suppose.)
A song that kids have sung since it was introduced in the early 20th century that looks forward to New Year's Day is もういくつ寝るとお正月 (もういくつねるとおしょうがつ mou ikutsu neru to oshougatsu), which means "How many nights (to sleep) before it's New Year's?" This simple song was written by a songwriter called Rentaro Taki, who tragically died in 1903 at the young age of 23, but wrote a lot of songs that are still sung to this day. This is his most popular. The lyrics go like this:
もういくつねるとお正月
お正月には 凧あげて
こまをまわして 遊びましょう
はやくこいこいお正月
もういくつねるとお正月
お正月には まりついて
おいばねついて 遊びましょう
はやくこいこいお正月
How many nights to sleep until it's New Year's?
On New Year's Day (or during the New Year period) let's fly kites
and play by spinning tops
Come come fast, New Year's
How many nights to sleep until it's New Year's?
n New Year's Day (or during the New Year period) let's bounce a ball
and play with a shuttlecock
Come come fast, New Year's
Here's a video of someone singing it reasonably painlessly:
The first verse lists two play activities that are typical 'things that boys do', flying kites and spinning tops, while the second verse lists two typical girls' activities, bouncing a mari or decorative ball and playing hanetsuki, a form of shuttlecock (the precursor of badmington), using highly decorated paddles called hagoita (羽子板) and shuttlecocks called oibane (追い羽根)made of a hard wooden ball and colorful feathers.
Parody versions
This is such a well known song that parody versions abound -- rather like they do for Jingle Bells. Basically the first line stays the same, and the two following lines are changed.
This version was the standard us us kids used to sing over and over, driving our parents nuts:
もういくつねるとお正月
お正月には餅食って腹を壊して死んじゃった
はやくこいこい霊柩車
How many nights to sleep until New Year's?
At New Year's (someone) ate mochi, got sick and died
Come come quickly funeral car!
初売り (はつうり hatsu uri) is the first sale of the new year; many stores these days open up on the 1st, hoping to lure in shoppers who are bored of lounging around at home. Here's a "hatsu uri reality check" kind of parody version:
もういくつねるとお正月
お正月には初売りで余計なものを買っちゃた
はやくこいこい給料日
How many nights to sleep until New Year's?
At New Year's (I) bought stuff I didn't need at the Hatsu uri sales
Come come quickly, payday!
お年玉 (おとしだま otoshidama) is a small money gift given to children on New Year's Day. Japanese kids look forward to getting otoshidama in the same way kids in the West look forward to Christmas presents under the tree. (Christmas presents are exchanged in Japan, but on a much smaller scale.) First, an otoshidama parody version from a kid's point of view:
もういくつねるとお正月
お正月にはお年玉たくさん貰ってWii買うぞ
はやくこいこいお正月
How many nights to sleep until New Year's?
At New Year's I'm getting a lot of otoshidama and buying a Wii
Come, come fast New Year's!
While kids love getting otoshidama, adults of course feel the financial pinch, especially if they are obligated to give to many nieces, nephews, grandkids, and their own children. So here's the "otoshidama woes" adult point of view version:
もういくつねるとお正月
お正月には姪が来て甥来て孫来てすっからかん
はやく帰れよガキどもよ
How many nights to sleep until New Year's?
At New Year's the nieces come, the nephews come, the grandkids come...and I'm broke
Go home quickly you brats!
There are a lot of other parodies around, but I've kept it just to the PG-rated ones ^_^.
Do you know any other parody versions? If you know any Japanese people, ask them if they have any!
Thank you so much!
I like the 霊柩車 version the best!
And I have decided to play this version in my own funeral... Ha ha ha
Very interesting!
Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: London Caller | 2009.12.22 at 12:05 PM
Hola Gina,
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Muchas gracias,
Ivone
Posted by: Ivone | 2009.12.29 at 12:34 PM
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Posted by: Ivone | 2009.12.29 at 12:35 PM