ne-no-hi-no-asobi; New Year's herb gathering and pine pulling on the first Day of the Rat
A traditional courtly event held on the first Day of the Rat in the New Year, involving collecting young herbs and pulling up small pine trees. Now largely historical and literary.
Ne-no-hi-no-asobi is known as a Heian-period court event.
Waka poems describe the scene of pulling up small pines during ne-no-hi-no-asobi.
The name literally means 'play/entertainment of the Day of the Rat,' referring to the first Day of the Rat in the New Year according to the Chinese zodiac cycle. The exact origin of the custom is uncertain, but it is associated with Heian-period court culture.