Oharae - The Great Purification
The major purification ceremony performed twice yearly to cleanse the entire nation.
Oharae is performed at the end of June and December at shrines throughout Japan. Through the recitation of the Oharae no Kotoba, all accumulated impurities of the community are symbolically transferred and washed away, renewing the spiritual health of the people.
Twice each year, the Great Purification renews the nation and its people.
Oharae reflects the communal dimension of Shinto purification practice.
Engishiki
Written about in
- What Shinto says about cycles and renewal
Twice a year, at the end of June and December, the great purification clears what has gathered. Impurity is handled as something that accumulates with time and needs a scheduled clearing, not as a verdict on character.
- What Shinto says about starting again after a fall
The Great Purification is performed at the end of June and the end of December, for everyone, whether they fell that year or not. Scheduled, communal and unearned: you never have to make a case for being included.