expression, noun-modifying (irregular)
welcome (new year, new spring, etc.)
Archaic pillow word (makura kotoba) used in classical Japanese poetry, typically prefacing words like 年 (toshi, year) or 春 (haru, spring) to express a sense of newness, freshness, or welcome. Not used in modern everyday language.
新玉の年が明けて、人々は祝いの歌を詠んだ。
With the new year dawning, people composed celebratory poems.
古典和
In classical waka poetry, the phrase 'aratama no haru' (new spring) is often seen.
The exact origin is uncertain. It is a traditional pillow word (makura kotoba) whose meaning is conventionally associated with 'new' or 'fresh', possibly from 新 (ara, new) + 玉 (tama, jewel/spirit), but the derivation is not firmly established.