SHIMEKAZARI — Welcoming the New Year

Shimekazari (しめ飾り) are traditional Japanese New Year decorations made from sacred straw rope and symbolic natural elements. Placed at the entrance of the home before the New Year, they mark a purified space and welcome good fortune for the year ahead. In this seasonal gathering, participants will discover the meaning and materials behind Shimekazari and create their own decoration by hand. More than an ornament, it is a quiet ritual of preparation — letting go of the old, making space for renewal, and welcoming a new beginning. For 24 SETSU, this gathering becomes a symbolic threshold into 2027: a moment to prepare, reconnect and welcome the year of connection ahead.