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On New Year's Day, Buddhist god Hotei brings gifts and good fortune in Japan

  • Written by Megan Bryson, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of Tennessee
imageHotei hands out gifts to children.Detail of print by Kuniyoshi Utagawa, 1798-1861, via Wikimedia Commons

The new year brings a fresh start, symbolized in some cultures by the cherubic baby New Year who replaces the old year that has come to a close. In Japan, the roly-poly god Hotei, who is often identified with Santa Claus, ushers in the new year...

Read more: On New Year's Day, Buddhist god Hotei brings gifts and good fortune in Japan

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