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鬼遣 (おにやらい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

鬼遣おにやらい

お

に

や

ら

い

Meanings

1

noun

driving out evil spirits (on New Year's Eve)

Refers to a traditional ritual performed on the last day of the year (大晦日) to expel demons and misfortune. The term is historical and now largely replaced by 追儺 (ついな) or 節分 (せつぶん) customs.

See also: 追儺

鬼遣おにやらいは、大おお晦日みそかに鬼おにを追おい払はらう古ふるい行ぎょう事じです。
Oni-yarai is an old event on New Year's Eve to drive away demons.

Kanji

鬼ghost, devil
遣dispatch, despatch, send

Similar words

追つい儺な
追儺 is the more common term for the same ritual, especially in historical or religious contexts. 鬼遣 is an older, less frequent variant.
節せつ分ぶん
節分 is the modern bean-throwing festival in February, which evolved from the same tradition of driving out evil spirits.

Etymology

Compound of 鬼 (oni, 'demon') and 遣 (yarai, 'driving away'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it is associated with ancient purification rites.