初はつ夢ゆめ

noun

first dream of the New Year

Refers to the dream one has on the night of January 1st or 2nd, traditionally believed to foretell the year's fortune. Often associated with the saying 一富士二鷹三茄子 (first Mt. Fuji, second a hawk, third an eggplant) as auspicious dream subjects.

• 今年ことしの初はつ夢ゆめには富ふ士じ山さんが出でてきた。

  Mt. Fuji appeared in my first dream of the New Year.

• 初はつ夢ゆめで縁えん起ぎのいいものを見みると、一いち年ねんが良よい年としになるらしい。

  They say that if you see something auspicious in your first dream of the year, the whole year will be a good one.

noun

dream on the night of Setsubun

Archaic usage; historically referred to the dream on the night of Setsubun (the day before the beginning of spring), which was also considered significant for fortune-telling. Now largely replaced by the New Year's dream meaning.

See also: 節分

• 古ふるい文ぶん献けんでは、節せつ分ぶんの夜よるに見みる夢ゆめも「初はつ夢ゆめ」と呼よばれていた。

  In old documents, the dream seen on the night of Setsubun was also called 'hatsuyume'.