summer purification rite; Nagoshi no Harae
A Shinto purification ceremony held at shrines on the last day of the 6th lunar month (around June 30th in the modern calendar). Participants pass through a large ring of miscanthus reeds (茅の輪) to purify themselves of the first half of the year's impurities and pray for health in the coming months.
See also: 茅の輪
At the Nagoshi no Harae, people pass through a miscanthus ring to purify the impurities of the past half year.
On June 30th, the Nagoshi no Harae is held at a nearby shrine.
The large ring of miscanthus reeds used in the Nagoshi no Harae ceremony; 夏越の祓 is the name of the rite itself.
A broader Shinto purification ceremony held at the end of June and December; 夏越の祓 is the summer version of this.
Standard kanji spelling for this Shinto purification rite.
Variant spelling with 越し, also commonly seen.
Rare ateji-like spelling using 名 for な.
The term combines 夏越 (summer crossing) and 祓 (purification). The exact origin is uncertain, but it is an ancient Shinto practice.