Soot sweeping (susuharai) - Susuharai

Japanese: すす払い(煤払い) - すすはらい

This is the end of the year cleaning up the house and sweeping away soot. Recently it has come to be done closer to New Year's Eve, but since the early modern period many places have decided on December 13th. In the past, this was the day when people would welcome pine trees for the New Year and cut knotted trees, and in some places it was used to grind rice for the New Year and to replace servants, so the 13th was the day to start preparations for the New Year. As this day is called the Sutori Setsuku or Sutori no Toshitori, so much more than just a thorough cleaning, so too was it an important occasion for warding off bad luck for the year.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

年末に屋内の煤を払い，大掃除すること。最近では大晦日近くにするようになったが，近世以降12月13日と決めていた所が多い。かつてこの日に正月用の松迎えや節木伐りをする風が広くあり，また正月用の米をつくとか奉公人の出替り日としていた所があるなど，13日は新年の準備開始の日であった。この日を煤取節供，煤掃きの年取と呼ぶ所があるように，煤払いは単なる大掃除という以上に年間の厄を取りはらう重要な折り目であった。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

<<: Soot mold - soot mold

>>: Suzdal' (English spelling)