Japanese New Year Bell-Ringing Ceremony

Celebrate with your museum community for an experience the San Francisco Chronicle calls “a great way to end a year and start a new year.”

Ring in the New Year by taking a swing at a 2,100-pound, 16th-century Japanese temple bell. Led by Reverend Gengo Akiba, this inspiring ceremony will include a purification ritual and chanting of the Buddhist Heart Sutra. Visitors will have an opportunity to ring the bell to leave behind any unfortunate experiences, regrettable deeds, or ill luck from the year. The bell will be struck 108 times to usher in the New Year and curb the 108 mortal desires (bonno) that, according to Buddhist belief, torment humankind.

Schedule

10 AM | Doors open
10:30 AM–12 PM | Member Bell-Ringing
12:30 PM | Touch Tour of the Bell for Blind and Visually Impaired Community
1–2:30 PM | Public Bell-Ringing

Tours and Storytelling

11 AM | Storytelling (pre-K)
1:30 PM | Collection
3 PM | Qi Baishi: Inspiration in Ink

We encourage visitors to purchase general admission tickets prior to arriving at the museum. An admission ticket guarantees entry, but visitors interested in joining the Bell-Ringing Ceremony must pick up separate tickets to ring the bell at the entrance to Samsung Hall.