"Winter swimming", in Japanese KANCYU SUIEI. The literal meaning is to swim in a cold cold cold--- sea or river.
This is a kind of ceremony in winter.
Swimming in the sea or rivers in midwinter is called winter swimming It is said to have originated in the Edo period when swimming was practiced in each domain every during the wintertime.
Oh, I didn't know that, I thought its origin would be a ritual of Shintou religion.
It isn't a ritual. it's a ceremony.
I sometimes see the ceremony on TV in winter, but I've never seen one directly on my eyes.
Do you have such ceremony in your country???
2 comments:
We call it a "polar bear plunge". meaning you jump in and get immediately out because the water is dangerously cold. No "swimming" at all. I wasn't aware it was associated with ancient Japan...I thought it came from the very northern countries of Finland, Russia, Norway. And, as you say, it's more a ritual or tradition that is usually around New Year's Day here in the US. We even have such a "ceremony" here in our little town at one of the ponds and about a dozen hardy people, all ages and both sexes, brave the cold water to "take the plunge." Jan
Thanks for your comments, Jan. I didn't know that yin your country such " a ceremony" is held. Well I'm not sure it was associated with ancient Japan (Edo era is not so ancient period for us though). --- probably such ceremony is cased to by humans' nature to want to do something challengeable.
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