A Little Lesson in History and Tradition:
In Japan there is a ceremonial festival dedicated to broken needles. It is called Hari-kuyo: Festival of Broken Needles. In the Hari-Kuyo ceremony, Japanese women gather once
a year on February 8th at Shinto shrines or Buddhist temples to thank their worn
out needles and pins for good service. It
is also a time to value the small, everyday objects of daily living and to wish
for progress in one's needle work. In what is known as the Festival of
Broken Needles, women gather to offer a
funeral-type service by laying the needles to rest in soft jelly cakes or tofu. This burial is meant to bring rest to the needles and wrap them with tenderness
and gratitude. Further
to the idea of laying the needles to rest for good service is the idea that
women have many secret sorrows in life. These sorrows are often passed to the
needles during long hours of stitching and the needles are thought to take on
the burden of some of these sorrows, thus taking them away with the stitching
that they do. This "rest" is brought to the needles in appreciation for their
faithful service. Another
aspect of the ceremony is the consideration for "the value of small things." The
concept of Mottainai, or not being wasteful, is related to the
usefulness of the needles. These small but important tools would give long,
useful service throughout the year. They were not to be lost or wasted nor
carelessly replaced.
