Kirk here with news about an interesting (in my view, at least) kind of kuyo (thanksgiving) ceremony. The word kuyo (供養) normally refers to a ceremony in which worshipers pray for the soul of a departed person. The practice of performing kuyo ceremonies for miscarriages and abortions has found its way into American culture where funerals (at least as far as I know) are usually reserved for those who have been born live. Here’s an NPR piece about mizuko kuyo being adopted in the U.S.:
https://www.npr.org/2015/08/15/429761386/adopting-a-buddhist-ritual-to-mourn-miscarriage-abortion
The most famous kind of kuyo for inanimate objects is hari kuyo (針供養), which is described in this Wikipedia article:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hari-Kuy%C5%8D
Instead of merely throwing broken sewing needles In the trash, a ceremony is held to thank them for their service. While hari kuyo is quite famous, the news article I’m introducing today is about a much more unusual ceremony. It’s about a kuyo service for old advertisements, which was held for the second time this year.
I’m not sure how those of you feel about such services but personally, even though I have never participated in a formal kuyo ceremony for a work-related object, I can appreciate the sentiment. Sometimes when I need to throw away an object that has served me well for an extended period of time, or something that was given to me but which I can no longer use, I’ll put my hands together in a quasi-religious gesture of gratitude and appreciation before I place the item in a trash bin.
Here’s a link to a YouTube video about this unique kind of kuyo ceremony held in Kumamoto:
１年間の広告物に感謝 熊本広告供養 (23/12/21 11:00) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QT-Kyw1eAY