traditional Koshōgatsu fertility ceremony for a newly-wed wife
Historical term for a ritual held during Koshōgatsu (小正月, Little New Year) in which the new bride is struck on the buttocks with a sacred pole (祝い棒) to pray for fertility. Rarely encountered outside ethnographic or historical contexts.
Yomeiwai is one of the old customs performed during Koshōgatsu.
I watched a video at the folk museum that recreated the yomeiwai ceremony.
Full standard spelling for this historical ceremony.
Abbreviated spelling; less common but attested.
Compound of 嫁 (yome, 'bride') and 祝い (iwai, 'celebration, ritual'). The exact origin of the fertility rite is uncertain, but it is associated with Koshōgatsu folk traditions.