大晦日の日、カフェには遠方から多賀大社参拝の方が多くお立ち寄りくださいました。新年は参拝するのに列を作って順番を待つのに比べれば年末はゆっくりお参りできるので、毎年この時期と決めていらっしゃる方も多いようです。私自身もお正月は余裕がないのですが、年末はお客様とちょっとしたお話ができるのも何よりと思っています。
さて、去年は夜中１２時近くに多賀大社に行って大勢の若者たちのカウントダウンのような参拝におどろいたのですが、今年は８時すぎに一年のお礼参りに神社へ向かいました。何と私が行った時は境内は私一人。拝殿に近づくにつれて後ろから何人かが歩いてこられました。この一年、無事に過ごせたことを感謝し、家族を含め周りの皆の平安を祈りました。途中、長く離れましたが、こうした立派な神社のそばに再び帰って日々過ごしていられるのは幸運なことだと思いました。
On the last day of the year, many people who visited Taga Taisha stopped by the cafe and most of them were from outside of Shiga. They chose this day to visit the shrine rather than on the new year because they avoid the crowds who come for the first visit to the shrine. Since I have no time to talk to the customers on the first couple days of the new year because it is too busy for me, I am glad to have time to talk to them before the end of the year.
Well, I visited the shrine at around 8 p.m. to give my year-end thanks. Last year, I visited at just before the midnight and I was very surprised because it was very crowded with younger people and they did the way of praying like a countdown at Times Square in NY. In other words, they waited in front of the worship hall and when they hard the drum which let people know the new year, they started throwing the money to the shrine and prayed. I had never seen such a way of praying at a shrine and it was not the Japanese way. So I went to the shrine much earlier, at around 8 p.m. this time. When I got to the shrine, nobody except me was there. I thanked God that I was able to spend the year safely and prayed for peace and health for my family and people around me. Although I was away from my native town for many years, I came back and have been living in a place near such a grand shrine. I feel lucky about this.
