The 23rd is one of the 24 solar terms, and it is the "frost" that is said to be the time when frost falls.
At an elementary school on Mt. Rokko in Kobe City, children held an annual "burning ceremony" to light a firewood stove.
At Rokkosan Elementary School, which is located on the mountainside at an altitude of 795 meters, a "burning ceremony" is held every year to light a stone stove at the time of "frost".
On the 22nd, a total of 32 children in grades 4 to 6 challenged the traditional fire-starter by rubbing a wooden stick against a board at the gymnasium.
Continuing from last year, due to the influence of the new coronavirus, I stopped cheering from 1st to 3rd graders, stopped blowing moxa and hemp to catch fire, and used a ball pump.
When the fire lit, the children were happy to applaud and jump.
At the elementary school, the temperature before 7 am on the 22nd was 9 degrees, which was about 4 degrees lower than in the city, and when the stove caught fire, the children held their hands warm.
A 6th grade child said, "I was very happy when the fire ignited in cooperation with my teacher and friends. The burning ceremony is the last one, but I want to remember it even when I become a junior high school student." I did.
At Rokkosan Elementary School, we will put on a stove to welcome children when the temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius until next spring.