Hatsuyume- Japan’s Prophetic New Year’s Belief

In Japan, it is thought that the dream you have the night of January 1st will be indicative of your fortune for the year to come. There are certain symbols, such as a hawk, Mt. Fuji, or an eggplant, that are said to bring the absolute best fortunes to the dreamer for a given year. The general understanding is, though, that any good dream the night of January 1st puts you on track to have a good year!

However, if you, like me, had dreams of bad omens on the night of the first, fear not! There is a way to protect yourself. For example, I dreamt of dark blue waves, cars frozen in ice, and bags of rotting oranges. A person with bad dreams or nightmares for their hatsuyume can ‘give back’ the bad luck by speaking of it. This practice is similar to ‘returning’ unlucky fortunes at a Shinto shrine, but instead of tying a piece of paper to a tree, all you have to do is share your dream with someone. By sharing the content of a hatsuyume, it is unlikely to come true. The first thing I did on January 2nd was to tell my family about my dream, and now I can rest assured that nothing will go wrong this year. (Right?)

It also could be a false dream- if you were influenced by a traumatic event or upsetting news, it’s likely that a subsequent nightmare is the result of distress, and therefore not a true prophetic new year’s dream.

Every year on January 1st, social media feeds are brimming with resolutions- the hopeful oaths made by many who want to meet important goals in their lives. I love reading these, and each time I see one, a part of me wonders: what did they dream of that night? As I welcome the new year, nightmares “given back,” I am leaning into feelings of optimism for the challenges I know are coming. Even those who dream of a raging bull can at least take it by the horns!