New Year’s gift (usu. money given to a child by relatives and visitors)（Onenga.)
A gift given in celebration of the New Year to express gratitude for the old year and greetings for the new year. Generally, gifts should be sent between January 1 and the end of the Matsu-no-Uchi period (January 7 in the Kanto region and January 15 in the Kansai region). In general, gifts should not be sent by mail, but should be delivered in person to the recipient. It is said to have originated from the custom of bringing “otsukitama (New Year’s gifts),” offerings to the kamidana or Buddhist altar where the “New Year God” is enshrined, and giving them to each other.
