Celebrate Japanese New Year Saturday at PEM

SALEM – Celebrate the year of the tiger Japanese style this Saturday at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem.The “Oshogatsu! Celebrate the year of the tiger!” family orientated festival will include drumming performances, Japanese calligraphy workshops, storytelling and Japanese games.The Japanese New Year celebration will be held in the atrium from 11:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.The festivities will get under way with a Taiko drumming performance by the Arlington-based Odaiko New England and a Japanese lion dance performed by Stephen Long. Odaiko New England was formed in 1994 and the group continues to forge its own distinctive style by combining Japanese aesthetic sensibility with the bold American spirit. In Japan, the sounds of the taiko (drum) are infused into many aspects of daily life. From Shinto and Buddhist rituals, to celebratory festivals, the taiko is said to be the voice and spirit of the Japanese.At noon and again at 3:30 p.m. master calligrapher Michiko Imai will demonstrate the art of calligraphy with musical accompaniment. Attendees will have the opportunity to try their hand at calligraphy following each performance.At 12:30 p.m. in the Morse Auditorium Midori Oka, who will be accompanied by drummers, will use large colorful traditional Japanese kamishibai (storytelling) cards to weave tales.There are plenty of hands on activities throughout the day in the art studio including printing your own traditional woodblock nengajo New Year’s cards. One Japanese New Year’s custom is nengajo or sending of New Year’s greeting cards. Close to four billion nengajo New Year’s post cards are sold in Japan each year and many people make their own.In the art studio participants will have the opportunity to decorate their own Daruma doll. A symbol of good luck and protection in Japan, a Daruma doll is traditionally given to someone starting a new venture or at the beginning of a New Year. When the doll is given the eyes are usually not painted. The recipient makes a wish for good luck and paints one eye. The other one eye is painted when the goal is reached or the wish fulfilled.Traditional Japanese games will be played in the atrium from noon until 3 p.m.Advance registration is required for the 1 p.m. calligraphy workshop in the Bartlett Gallery where participants will learn to write the Japanese character for tiger. Advance registration is also required for the taiko drumming workshop with members of Odaiko New England, which is scheduled at 2:30 p.m.If You Go?Advance registration can be made by calling 978-745-9500 ext. 3011 or online at www.pem.org. Museumadmission is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors and $11 for students. Children are admitted free when accompaniedby an adult.