Marking its 30th year as a local holiday celebration, the Asian Art Museum’s Japanese Bell Ringing Ceremony offers a chance to literally ring in the new year — and, in so doing, according to Buddhist belief, rid oneself of the bad stuff. The event features a 2,100-pound, 16th-century Japanese temple bell, which museum attendees strike 108 times. According to tradition, this will usher in the new year and keep in check the 108 mortal desires that plague humankind. Attended by Rev. Gengo Akiba and Japanese community leader Yoshie Akiba, the ceremony will include a purification ritual and a chanting of the Buddhist Heart Sutra. During the bell-ringing session, participants will take turns striking the bell and, in tune with custom, can leave behind lousy experiences, personal mistakes, and rotten luck from the outgoing year. (In terms of self-improvement, this ritual couldn’t fare worse than those resolutions nobody keeps.) The festivities will also include art activities.
The public can take part in the 30th annual Japanese Bell Ringing Ceremony from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 31, at the Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin St., S.F. Free with museum admission ($10-$15); 415-581-3500 or asianart.org.
— Anita Katz
415-581-3500
