Akemashite Omedetou-san Dosu!

In other words, happy new year to all our patrons!

The ladies at Blue Lotus have wrapped up our to-dos for last year, and we are feeling refreshed and ready to face the year 2010 with big plans and, as always, the aim to continue bringing the beauty of the flower and willow world to Second Life. We look forward to sharing the year with all of you!

Already we'll be ringing in the year with some auspicious events during the month of January. First, the geisha will be going back to work on the 2nd to host the first ozashiki of the year on board the SS Galaxy. We hope to start off the month with a lovely performance there and as always, a relaxing bowl of tea. The ozashiki will begin at 4pm, we hope you will join us!

Another of the events we'll be hosting during the New Year period is Shigyoushiki, the hanamachi's annual awards ceremony honoring the maiko and geiko who have made significant contributions during the last year. This will be our first time hosting Shigyoushiki at Blue Lotus. The date and time is still to be decided, so keep checking the calendar to find out when!

Yet another of our events planned for the month (and the one I am personally looking forward to the most) is Hatsugama. Literally translating to 'first kettle,' this is a reverent event marking the first full tea ceremony of the year. As the chado instructor at Blue Lotus, okaasan Mikido Yoshikawa will perform the honorable task of serving tea for her students. We are very fortunate to have a teacher with such great knowledge of the way of tea, and it will be an event to remember.

More events will be announced throughout the month, so keep up to date with the calendar and we'll look forward to welcoming you all again to Blue Lotus in 2010! Blessings to you for the year ahead!

Regards,
Maiko Umeha 梅 葉

Blue Lotus winter play: The first rabbits

As the month December slowly approaches its end, the Blue Lotus Okiya cordially invites you to a story about heaven and earth, snow and fluffy animals with long ears loved by children: rabbits.

When they first came down to our earth, no one expected them to turn into what we know them to be today. And though they are hopping still, never to return to the place they originated from: the sky.

Don't forget to put on your warm clothes when you come to discover their journey with us...

Monday, Dec 28th

12pm SLT
Noh stage, Zarathud

December: four seasons come to an end

When the first snow covers the last green and sends all plants and flowers into hibernation, in the sky a pale tinted winter moon rises, indicating a coldness deep inside, when it's getting more and more foggy outside and in the homes fires crackle... then goku-getsu has come ("end of the year-month"), also known as shi-hatsu-zuki ("four seasons come to an end-month") and haru-machi-zuki ("waiting for spring-month"), or, as we call it, December.

With the twelfth and last month in the year a busy time begins in Japan: koto-hajime, the start of things to be done at the end of the year. Everybody prepares for New Year, sends out greeting cards and small rice cakes to cherished people, settles last differences and disputes, purifies and decorates the home for New Year. In the Kyoto-Osaka area, Geiko, Maiko and other people of the showbusiness solemnize Hatsuyori on the 13th: carrying along kagami mochi, rice cakes, as gifts they go around to the different teahouses and their masters' houses to bring their New Year's congratulations. Tea people set pine branches and/or daidai oranges into the alcoves, cover the stepping stones, the water basin and the doorsill in the garden with straw lids to protect them of the white crystals and set the mood for yuki no cha, the tea ceremony celebrating the first fallen snow. As the end of the year approaches, they change the kama, kettles, several times. And while they do this for the last time for Joyo-gama, the tea ceremony on New Year's Eve (joya), okotousan is celebrated in Kyoto - literally meaning "such a busy moment, there's so much to do." After visiting the teahouses of the different quarters to express their gratitude and to receive small gifts, all Geiko and Maiko go to the Yasaka shrine to light up a wick of rice straw with the holy Okera flame and take this wick home to ignite the oven, as this brings luck for the coming year.

And so do we at the Blue Lotus celebrate the end of the year! Though there might be no public celebrated Koto-hajime, there are other exciting things coming up: in the following weeks our sim will slowly turn into a landscape of snow sculptures and on Sunday, 27th, at noon we will show you the origin of the first rabbits in our winter play.
Okotousan: such a busy moment, there's so much to do. So let's cherish this special month together. The Blue Lotus warmly invites you!

Momijigari, the Maple Hunt

As the autumn chill sets in and the trees start turning their most glorious colors this month, Blue Lotus invites you to celebrate Momijigari with us on the 21st of November!

"Momijigari" literally translates to "maple hunting," and this is precisely what the practice is about: during the peak turning season, Japanese families take a day to hunt around their area for the most brilliant red maples, and picnic underneath them in reverence of nature's beauty.

In the spirit of this, we'll be bringing all the shades of autumn's beauty to the sim and inviting you on a hunt for these beautiful maples! The event will begin at our brand new entertainment complex on the corner of the sim. There will be prizes given to the best hunters, and afterwards we invite you to join us in our brand new entertainment complex for refreshments and a movie.

We hope to see you there! Ookini!

Saturday, November 21st
11am - 1pm SLT
Begins at the brand new entertainment complex of Blue Lotus

November: month of maple

We are very sorry for our two months long absence in our blog. Though our calendar has always been up-to-date, our posting activity was not.

urayamashi
utsukushuu natte
chiru momiji

How enviable,
turning beautiful then falling
maple leaves

(Shiko)


November is the month of maple: of kaede, turning maple leaves, and momiji, red maple leaves, and is accordingly celebrated with momijigari, the chase and view of autumn trees, in midmonth. The maple in autumn is the equivalent of the cherry blossom in spring and it represents a delicate short-lived beauty which is followed by the first snowflakes of winter.

Another festival in November is shichi-go-san (literally "seven-five-three") which is celebrated on November 15th. It's a festival for children of these ages as they mark important events in a child’s life: when they are three three boys and girls are allowed to let their hair grow for the first time, at the age of five a young boy celebrates wearing his first hakama (a pleated skirt originally worn by men only) and at the age of seven a young girl wearing her first obi. The children visit a shrine with their parents who express their gratitude for their hitherto luck and to ask for their children's future health and safety.

The Blue Lotus celebrates this beautiful autumn month with momijigari on November 21st to which you are warmly invited!

Gion Matsuri, a celebration originally to ward of the ravages off the plague in the 9th century, has now become Japan's premiere festival. At the Blue Lotus we will be celebrating with month long activities and fun- all are welcome to participate and visit. Here is a tentative list of events planned:

Gion Matsuri Opening Ceremonies
July 1st 2009 at 1 pm SLT
A group performance featuring various ranks of Blue Lotus Geisha centered around Gion Kouta

Float building /parade planning for Hanagasa Junko ( Flower parasol parade)
July 10th 5am-7am SLT
July 11th 10am-12noon SLT
July 12th 10am-2pm SLT
July 13th 10 am -2pm SLT
As we will be only having one parade in July we have combined floats with the classic parasol and floral hat into one festive procession. Any SL group interested in participating and representing their group are welcome. Please contact BL maiko Umeha (Hana Hendrassen) for details. Patrons and friends also welcome to participate or just enjoy watching.

Hanagasa Junko ( Flower parasol parade)
July 24th, 2009 at 11am SLT
Parade featuring the floats and costumes of Gion Matsuri parades ..including special presentations of ladies representing various SL Okiya

Hanagasa Odori
July 24th 2009 at 7pm SLT
at the SS Galaxy
Performance of the Hanagasa Odori (Flower parasol dance) to traditional Music by Blue Lotus Geisha.

Tanabata Legend
July 26th 2009 at 11 am SLT
Tanabata Legend play featuring voice narrative at the Blue Lotus Stage.

July - the month of Gion Matsuri

July is the end of the rainy season and the beginning of the summer. It is the month of fireworks, the hottest days and the Tanabata festival. And the month of Gion Matsuri, one of the three largest festivals in Japan.

Gion Matsuri takes place in Kyoto, the ancient capital city of Japan. Throughout July, there are street fairs with music, games and Japanese festival food. The crowning event is Yamaboko Junko, the procession of 32 giant decorated floats through the streets of Kyoto on July 17th. In the preceding evenings of the previous three days these floats are illuminated by lanterns and in the evening of July 16th thousands of people dressed in Yukata take to the pedestrianized streets of downtown Kyoto to view them amid the constant festival music of flutes, drums and bells.

This celebration initially originated as part of a purification ceremony in response to a plague when a priest of the Yasaka shrine led a procession through Kyoto in an attempt to appease the Shinto gods. The plague ended soon, but this was repeated wherever an outbreak would occur. In the year 970 it was decreed an annual event and has since seldom been broken.


The Blue Lotus Okiya welcomed the new month with the Gion Matsuri opening performance on July 1st at 1pm SLT: in the beautiful scenery of the Cherry Path Gardens Umeha, Hatsuyo and the three Shikomi Bryony, mushroom and amarna danced to the melody and lyrics of Gion Kouta, a traditional and very popular folksong in Japan, played by me (Ichisumi) on the shamisen. We were dressed in the same Kimono of Flower&Willow and wore the same Gion Matsuri kanzashi of Hana Katsuraya. In spite of some SL problems all went well.

In the course of Gion Matsuri we will hold more performances and Ozashiki, please watch our blog calendar and teahouse group for keeping up-to-date.