In general, June 1st is the day to change the “wardrobe” from the Winter Cloth to Summer Cloth. Since I moved to the rural city of the U.S., I am not so particular about the date of this “changing wardrobe (and mindset)”. However, I make myself to do so in the 1st~2nd week of June – with appreciating to the winter clothes that protected me. ☆
Humans differentiate themselves from other animals by enjoying the “Cloth”. Each year, following the Japanese seasons, they changed the clothes to celebrate the summer farming season. So is my Sashiko (Boro to be) Jacket will go into the bottom drawer until the next winter comes (which is October 1st, in general). We call this custom – Koromo-Gae. There is always stories behind the words.
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衣替え。米国に来てから意識的に衣替えをすることはなくなったのですが、冬服を圧縮袋に入れて押入れにドンっと。刺し子の野良着は丁寧に洗って、しっかり干してから、箪笥の一番下に。なんとなくなのですが、毎年6月1週目を目安にやっている週間です。
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家が大きい米国の田舎町では、「衣替え」をするという話はあまり聞いたことはがありません。僕が知らないだけかもしれないけれど、「箪笥の中身を変える」的なことはしないのかなーと思ったり。ウォーキングクローゼットが標準だったりしますし。衣替えひとつとっても、平安時代頃まで物語は遡ります。制服を季節によって一斉に変える。それもまた、英語で紹介したい日本的な文化の一つだったりすると思うのです。
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2020-06-07 18:28:10
@boscolisa
Thank you for this! My family does the same thing, only it’s a little earlier because it gets hot pretty quickly in the midwest, so it’s usually in May.
Thank you we do a similar thing but the last week of May (being in Southern Hemisphere) get the winter clothes & bedding out. Out of interest will you talk about winter to summer traditions sometime?
Thank you for sharing your tradition with us!
Do reairs happen during the off-season? I would think that would be the time to mend all the clothes for the season to come.
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Finally using my “on-line” shashiko kit and I’d like to tell you that my fingertips are blue and the position is awkward! Success! Thank you.
Thank you for you stories and sharing with us. I feel I really need to learn more. 💙