Today is Hari-kuyo, the Japanese festival of broken needles. Once a year, in the Hari-kuyo ceremony women gather at Buddhist temples or Shinto shrines to honor the service of their worn out pins and needles.
They lay the needles to rest in beds of konnyaku, a jelly-like substance, or tofu. Laying the needles into something soft is showing appreciation for all the times that the implements have been stuck in and used for hard work.
The day has deeper significance, however. They believe that women have secret sorrows in life that are often passed to the needles during stitching. The needles take some of the burden of these sorrows, and are now given rest.
Of course, continuing with tradition, I had to rest my needles. Or at least, one of the size 2 1/2 bamboo needles that has been broken in the last year. However, I did not have any tofu, or any konnyaku. So I used the closest thing: half-eaten cherry jello.
Of course, I think this might melt if I just left this out, so I put it in the fridge afterward.
Thank you little needle. Rest well deep in the jiggly jello.
Love,
A
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