粥かゆ占うら

also: じゅくせん

か

ゆ

う

ら

Meanings

rice porridge divination; harvest divination during Koshōgatsu

A traditional folk practice performed during Koshōgatsu (Little New Year, around January 15th) to predict the year's harvest by observing how rice porridge (粥) boils or by placing sticks in it. The term is primarily historical and ethnographic.

Kanji

粥rice gruel
占fortune-telling, divining, forecasting

Related words

年とし占うら
年占 is a broader term for New Year divination practices, while 粥占 specifically uses rice porridge.
小こ正しょう月がつ
小正月 is the festival period (around January 15th) during which 粥占 is traditionally performed.

Written forms

粥占
- かゆうら
  Standard kanji form for the folk divination practice. The reading かゆうら is the most common.
- じゅくせん
  Alternate on'yomi reading, less common but still encountered in some contexts.
じゅくせん

Etymology

Compound of 粥 (kayu, 'rice porridge') and 占 (ura, 'divination'). The reading かゆうら is a kun'yomi compound; the on'yomi reading じゅくせん is less common. The practice is ancient, but the exact historical origin is uncertain.