Soon there will be New Year’s Eve. Now I am at home and I feel some tension like a tingling sensation in the cold calm. Slowly the excitement increases and exactly at midnight on New Year’s Eve the expression of joy of Viennese people will explode. In the cold winter’s night many thousands of rockets will explode and illuminate the sky. In the city centre so many people gather and those staying at home will offer a toast with their glasses. This is one typical expressions of New Year festivity in many countries. When I experienced this in Vienna for the first time, I was shocked. There was another Japanese living in the same building as I and she said that she had never experienced New Year’s Eve in the city and so she said “Let’s go there together”. There was a crowd of people and we were so excited together waiting for midnight. But when that time finally came, there was loud noise everywhere, rockets were flying and also between people there were explosions. Rockets are fired in the air but also many people just throw firecrackers at the feet of people. Since there are so many people it is impossible to leave. Because of loud explosions, my ears were almost deaf. Both of us decided to never do it again. Ever since that time,when I am in Vienna I celebrate New Year’s Eve calmly at home in warmth, listening to the explosions outside of my window.
In Japan on the other hand, people celebrate New Year’s Eve calmly and quietly. There is a religious background to this. At midnight, for the transition to the New Year, temple bells ring 108 times. In Buddhism it is taught that humans have 108 Bonnō (illusions, deceptions). Listening to the temple bells means contemplating and accepting our Bonnō, and thus having motivation for starting the New Year. This tradition should be preserved.
もうすぐ大晦日。今、私は家の中で、戸外の凍てつく冷気に漂うわくわくとした気分を感じています。だんだん緊張は高まっていき、新年に変わる０時にウィーンの人々は喜びに大爆発するのです。数えきれない花火があがり、冷たい冬の夜空を彩ります。中心街は人でごったがえし、他の人は家の中で乾杯します。これが、たくさんの国に共通する新年を祝う表現のひとつでしょう。 ウィーンで初めてこれを体験した時、私は本当にびっくりしました。当時、同じアパートに住んでいた日本人留学生が、一度も年明けをウィーンの中心街で過ごしたことがないから行ってみたい、と私を誘ったのです。いざ、大晦日の夜遅く出かけてみると、中心街はすでに人があふれていて、私たちはひしめく雑踏のなかで期待に胸をときめかせて日付が変わるのを待ちました。いよいよその時がきた瞬間、凄まじい破裂音がいたるところで鳴り響き、私は嬉しいどころか、恐怖に苛まれました。頭上だけでなく、足下でも火花が飛び散り、爆音の連続に、鼓膜が破れそうです。逃げようにも、人が多すぎて身動きがとれません。正直言って、生命の危険を感じました。私たちは震えながら、もう２度と再びこれはするまい、と心に決めたものです。 それ以来、私はウィーンで新年を迎える時は、暖かい家の中で、窓の外の大騒動を聞きながら、ゆっくり過ごすことにしています。
日本では除夜の鐘で新年を迎えますよね。いつまでも大切に護り続けなくてはならない習慣だと思います。
Picture by Yuka Simeno Vienna, December 2019
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