This and that from here and there. Snapshots of the things we see, use and do in our life in Japan. Written especially for children.
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September 26, 2008
Coming Home from a Funeral
When I left the house yesterday, I saw this small plate of salt near our entrance. It was wrapped in saran wrap. Aunt had put it there before she left for a funeral of a friend at work.
It is a custom to throw salt on a person who comes home from a funeral. A pinch of salt is thrown on the person's back and front. It is supposed to scare away spirits who follow the person home. Our family also does it when we return from the cemetery.
When we go to funerals, we usually ring the bell for Baba to come to the gate to throw salt on us. (Baba usually stays home.) Today Aunt threw salt on herself. Baba was having tea with a neighbor in the afternoon and I was gone.
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