Festival of the Seven Herbs (Jinjitsu) in Japan (Jinjitsu, Nanakusa no sekku)

In the Land of the Rising Sun, many traditional holidays are dedicated to the lunar calendar. The change of seasons in Japan is dedicated to Gosekku - five annual celebrations, one of which, Komodo-no-hi, has national status. Other holidays are not official, which does not detract from their significance. Thus, as a sign of gratitude to nature and its gifts, the Festival of the Seven Herbs, also known as Jinjitsu, is celebrated on January 7th. Jinjitsu owes its appearance to the influence of the Celestial Empire’s traditions on Japanese culture. In one of the Chinese treatises of the 6th century. there is a mention of the custom of honoring the arrival of a new calendar cycle: “The seventh day of the New Year is the day of man, when porridge containing seven green herbs is cooked.” It was believed that this light and low-calorie dish allowed the stomach to rest from the food eaten at the festive table, strengthened the immune system and warded off evil spirits. The tradition of celebrating Renzhi, the Chinese name for Jinjitsu, still exists in the southern regions of the PRC; it was followed until the mid-17th century. AD in Taiwan. Since the 8th century. AD On January 7, the Japanese eat a porridge-like vegetable soup that brings health and longevity. It contains seven wild spring herbs: shepherd's purse, Japanese parsley, turnip, bloodroot, radish, cudweed and lapsanastrum. The list of ingredients may vary depending on the tradition of preparing the dish in a particular prefecture. In addition to soup, on the 7th day of the first month of the Chinese calendar, the festive table contains products of white and green colors, symbolizing the arrival of spring and the awakening of nature. It is believed that a soup made from seven “lucky imperial herbs” eaten in the morning in honor of Jinjitsu makes a person healthy for a whole year. You can cook the liquid porridge yourself, using rice and leaves, stems and tubers of plants scalded with boiling water, or you can buy ready-made holiday kits in the store. Before starting a meal or while cutting wild herbs, folk songs are sung with the words "Before the birds of the continent (China) fly to Japan, let's take nanakusu!" By analogy with the seven spring herbs, there are also seven autumn flowers - bush clover, drupe, bluebell, valerian, dianthus and others. The bright inflorescences of these plants give the Japanese aesthetic pleasure comparable to admiring the cherry blossoms on Hanami. Despite the fact that each of the seven autumn flowers is used in herbal medicine for medicinal purposes, they are not eaten like spring herbs and are not used for making bouquets. Jinjitsu, as one of the five Gosekku ceremonies, which began to be performed at the imperial court in the Edo era, symbolizes the inextricable connection between man and nature. The Japanese sacredly honor their national culture, which is based on the traditions of their ancestors, therefore, for centuries, every year they celebrate Nanakusa no sekku on January 7th.