Torikoshi New Year - Torikoshi Shogatsu

Japanese: 取越正月 - とりこししょうがつ

The ritual celebration of New Year's in the middle of the year, without waiting for the actual New Year's day on the calendar, in an attempt to break away from the old year. When bad weather threatened the autumn harvest, epidemics spread, or natural disasters occurred one after another, people would suddenly start pounding rice cakes, setting up kadomatsu pine decorations, pulling sacred ropes, changing clothes, and going on a New Year's ceremony, and this would spread to neighboring areas one after another. This was done in hopes of breaking away from the dreadfulness of the year and ushering in a new, prosperous year, and was also called kasakushogatsu (temporary New Year) or hayarishogatsu (popular New Year).

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

暦日上の正月を待たずに年の途中に儀礼的に正月を迎え，旧年から脱しようとすること。天候不順で秋の実りが危ぶまれたり，悪疫が流行したり，天変地異が続くと，ときならずだれが始めるともなく餅を搗（つ）き，門松を立て，しめ縄を引き，服装を改めて正月礼に歩くことが起こり，次々に近隣に流行することがあった。これはその年の忌まわしさから脱し新たな嘉年を期待して行われるもので，仮作正月（かさくしようがつ）とも流行正月（はやりしようがつ）ともいわれる。

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

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