Every household starts the year in its own way. In mine, we went to the temple and then stayed together as a family for the rest of the time, enjoying New Year's dishes, from ozoni, a clear soup with a lot of flavour, to osetchi, a variety of sweet dishes. These first three days together were very important for us. Like Christmas for the French. It is important to rest, to enjoy the peace and quiet.
New year's resolutions must be made on the first of January. You have to set goals and put them down on paper with a brush on the second of January. This was my ritual. In high school, I used to enjoy making copies of sutras that my teacher would correct.
Since I learned about the Feng-Shui of the nine flying stars, I have been interested in the Chinese calendar. The fact that the year starts at the spring equinox seems to me to be in line with nature. The ominous transition from winter to spring provides the opportunity for a deep detox and the calligraphy of spring greetings brings me the energy and awareness of a new beginning. It is at this time that I make my wish list for the year, that I review my resolutions made in January.
Spring wishes are a hope that man and society live in peace, even in this hostile life. That is why I wanted to send my wishes to my family and friends who live far away.
I wish you a year full of joy and good health. Times are hard and winter is still here, but take care of yourself first.
Daffodils are already blooming on the street corners of Bordeaux.
With all my love
Original text
「立春大吉」
お正月の過ごし方は日本でも、各家庭のスタイルそれぞれ。小さな頃、若杉家では三ヶ日はお参り以外、基本的には外に出かけるのは控えて、家族団欒の時間を大切にしておりました。フランスでいうクリスマスの過ごし方と同じようですね。お雑煮は毎日、おせち料理と前もって作り置きしたものをいただき、ゆっくり休むように教えられたものです。
新年の計は元旦にあり。今年1年の年間計画や目標を定め、1月2日に書き初めをするのも恒例。高校生の頃はお正月に写経を書いたものを先生に見せて、添削いただくのも楽しみのひとつでした。
大人になってから九星氣学風水に出会い、暦カレンダーを意識するようになってから、立春が1年のはじまりだと益々感じるようになってきました。ちょうど冬から春になる真っ暗闇のデトックスこと土用も経て、心がとっても軽くなりますし、この立春直前に書く「立春大吉」はいよいよ春を寿ぐ時期が来た、と胸が熱くなります。だいたいこの時期になると叶えたいリスト百選。ウィッシュリストも書くようにしています。決意を新たに「1年の計は元旦にあり」の復習ですね。
「立春大吉」の意味は、古来、新年の始まりであった立春に人々や社会の幸せを祈る言葉。この厳しい世界に生かされている私たち。春を祝う言葉を添えて、今日は遠く離れた家族や友人たちにもお便りを書きたくなりました。
余寒お見舞い申し上げます。厳しき時節ではございますが、何卒ご自愛専一に、皆様のご健康とご多幸をお祈り申し上げます。道端には黄色い水仙の花が満開です。ボルドーより愛を込めて。
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Maaya Wakasugi
Calligraphy artist
Born in 1977 in Okayama, Japan. Lives in Bordeaux. Maaya Wakasugi was born in 1977, in the province of Okayama. At the age of 6 he began calligraphy, at 17 he held his first exhibition. In 2001, he graduated from the prestigious DAITO BUNKA Faculty of Arts and developed a personal style based on the so-called "ancient characters". Then, his choice of motifs that he liberates from the classical style, as well as the quality of his artistic expression, bring him a notoriety in Japan as well as abroad - exhibitions at NY ART EXPO (New York), at NEXT STEP BIENNALE (Paris), realization of a performance at MoMA. In January 2017 he calligraphed the title "Onna Jōshu Naotora" of the new historical fiction of the national television channel NHK. In 2018 he is the "Guest Artist of the Summer" by the municipality of Andernos-les-Bain. In 2019 he was chosen to calligraph the name of the new Japanese era "REIWA" on the official website of Yahoo! For the past three years he has been training adults from the PHILOMATHIQUE de Bordeaux, as well as primary and secondary school students from the region, in calligraphy workshops, the most recent of which took place at the DON BOSCO Institute in Gradignan.