Shinto and local foods / Naorai ceremony after ritual / Becoming one flesh

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When you eat foods,
three kinds of spiritual energies become one.
Energy of foods,the place's atmosphere and your spirit.
So,eating foods is a serious ritual for your life.
Most ideal way is having a meal at the same time with your family or favorite people.
But everyone doesn't have to eat same thing.

In Japan, Naorai is an eating ceremony for local people after Shinto ritual.
Some Japanese people think it is just a party to celebrate successful completion of Shinto ritual,
but it is an important closing ceremony of Shinto.
Naorai (直会) means "meeting directly".
Meet who? God.

All foods are created by mother earth, soil and the Sun.
People dedicate some local foods for Shinto shrine because we want to express gratitude.
"Thank you very much. These are things you made"
After the food-showing, they eat the local foods and dishes.
This is the Naorai.

Niiname-sai is the biggest and most important Shinto event like Thanksgiving.(Once a year in autumn)


 Naorai short movies.
Each movie is different area but Naorai is almost same style.



These days, some people also eat commercial foods in Naorai.
Beer, snacks, delivered foods and so on.
But originally, people need to eat local foods that were dedicated at shrine beforehand.
Especially, sake rice wine, mochi rice cake are important.
In Shinto, Sake and Mochi are important than other foods.

Why should people eat shrine-dedicated foods?
The reason is simple.
By showing local foods at shrine, the foods get Nature god's atmosphere/energy.
If people eat it, people can get closer to local nature gods.
God and human become one again.
Super ancient times, human and God were one. There was no distance.
Now, human is "part of God" but human always forget about it.
(Shinjin-Gouitsu = "God and human become one" in Japanese language)
Naorai party integrate our body and nature again.
Whole nature = God 

Human is nature too.
Our body is made from nature, foods and ancestors.
Japanese people can remember the meaning more frequently by Naorai.
Your country's foods are created by land and the Sun.
Your countless ancestors' bodies were also created by nature and foods.
And you are created by all of ancestors.
This concept is important.

Jomon people, Japanese direct ancestors, were omnivorous.
They did memorial ritual for sacrificed animals.
That means not only apologize but also strong determination about becoming one and together.
If you thank animals, eating meats is no problem in spiritual point of view.



Dedicated foods.(photos by wikipedia)