Community rings Joya No Kane for new year

By Lethbridge Herald on January 1, 2026.

By Joe Manio

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter- Lethbridge Herald

Over 100 members of the community gathered at the Friendship Bell at Nikka Yukko Japanese Garden Wednesday evening to take turns ringing the Joya No Kane (New Year’s Eve bell) to welcome the New Year with reflection and renewal. The traditional bell-ringing ceremony symbolizes letting go of the past year and is part of the continuing Winter Lights Festival.

Joya No Kane is a traditional Buddhist ceremony in Japan held on New Year’s Eve, during which temple bells are rung 108 times.The number 108 comes from Buddhist teachings, representing the earthly desires or negative emotions—such as greed, anger, and jealousy—that cause human suffering. 

“Humans have 108 defilements like greed, anger, ignorance,” says Reverend Roland Ikuta of the Buddhist Temple of Southern Alberta (BTSA) in Lethbridge. “We have 108 weaknesses or faults so we ring the bell 108 times.” 

By ringing the bell once for each desire, the ritual symbolizes cleansing these faults and entering the new year with a purified mind and spirit.

The bell ringing usually begins late on Dec. 31 and continues until midnight, with the final strikes welcoming the New Year. At many temples, monks perform the ritual, but some allow visitors to participate by helping ring the bell. The ceremony in the garden began at 7 p.m. 

“In theory we’re supposed to be ringing the bell at 11 o’clock at night and the bell is supposed to finish ringing at midnight. But we’re doing it a little earlier so people can get up and party. Tonight it (may be) more than a 108, because there’s lots of people,” says Ikuta.  

As each person stepped up to ring the bell, Reverend Ikuta and his assistant Reverend Kynan Ono performed a traditional chant until the final person in the lineup rang the bell. 

The deep, resonant sound is meant to be calming and reflective, encouraging people to look back on the past year and start the next one with mindfulness and renewal. The bronze Friendship Bell at Nikka Yuko was cast in Kyoto, Japan, and symbolizes the friendship between Canada and Japan.

The celebration also featured the return of free “Basha Nori” (horse and wagon rides) provided by Clydesdales John and Duke of Once Upon a Time Rides around Henderson before and after the ceremony.

During the ceremony Reverend Ikuta invited everyone to the BTSA at 2 p.m. on Sunday Jan.4 for a special service (which he described as one of the three most important at BTSA) called Hōonkō, a memorial for the founder of their Jodo Shinshu school of Buddhism.

“His name was Shinran Shonin and he passed away in Japan about 800 years ago. And so every year in Japan we commemorate his passing.”

The BTSA in Lethbridge is a vibrant Jodo Shinshu Buddhist community centre that traces its roots to the historic Raymond Buddhist Church congregations and serves Southern Alberta with traditional Pure Land Buddhist teachings. 

Founded to unify local Buddhist groups, it offers weekly Sunday dharma services, meditation and introductory Buddhism classes, and various cultural activities like taiko drumming and Minyo dancing, while also hosting community-oriented events and mindfulness programs. 

The temple fosters education, contemplation and spiritual engagement through services, classes, podcasts, and outreach, welcoming both practitioners and those curious about Buddhism. 

The BTSA is located at 470 40 Street South (near Pure Casino).

The Nikka Yuko Winter Lights Festival continues until Feb. 28.

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