noun
ground-breaking ceremony; purification ceremony before construction
A Shinto ceremony held before starting construction to purify the land and pray for safety. Often translated as 'ground-breaking ceremony', but it is specifically a religious ritual, not a secular event.
新しい家を建てる前に、地鎮祭を行いました。
We held a ground-breaking ceremony before building our new house.
地鎮祭では、神主が土地の神様に安全を祈ります。
At the ground-breaking ceremony, a Shinto priest prays to the land deity for safety.