Welcoming the Year of the Rabbit at Portland Japanese Garden

The festivities in the West Hills began with a lion dance.

O-Shogatsu. (Chris Nesseth)
By Bennett Campbell Ferguson and Chris Nesseth

The Japanese new year starts at the usual date—Jan. 1—but the party lasts a little longer. That’s how the Portland Japanese Garden came to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit with a ceremony Jan. 8.

The festivities in the West Hills began with a lion dance, performed by Portland State University Taiko, that featured some friendly biting from a lion-suited dancer (signifying good luck).

Other events included brush painting of rabbits and Hatsugama, the first tea kettle of the new year, normally a four-hour ceremony (the festival featured the final 15 minutes of the ritual).

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