First sunrise

The first sunrise of the year at the top of Mount Takao, Tokyo, Japan

Viewing the first sunrise of the year and praying for the world peace, at Cape Sōya, Hokkaido, Japan

Viewing the first sunrise of the year was a popular pastime during the Edo period.

The First sunrise refers to the custom of observing the first sunrise of the year. Such a custom may be just an observation of the sunrise on a special day, just for fun, or has a religious meaning for those who worship the sun, such as the Shintoist followers in Japan, for praying for good luck.

Japan[]

In Japan, the observation of the first sunrise of the year (Japanese: 初日の出=Hatsu-Hinode)on the first day on the Old Calendar has been part of the traditional Shintoist worship of Amaterasu, the sun goddess.^[1] Nowadays, the Japanese travel agents arrange trips to observe the earliest first sunrise of the year on the new Gregorian calendar in the easternmost Ogasawara Islands of the Japanese archipelago.

Korea[]

In Korea, there is also a custom of observing the First sunrise on the first day of the year, either on the traditional Korean calendar or the new calendar.^[2]

See also[]

• Sunrise

References[]

External links[]

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