xxxHOLiC Rou 208 translation

[starlady]

Thanks to Rena-chan for the raws--if you're able, please consider chipping in to help her continue to be able to provide scans! (Thanks also to Anonymous for the camera raws, on which I did the first few pages of this. Sorry I couldn't put it out sooner.)

!!! page 01
FX: Chirp

FX: Chirp [of crickets]

Watanuki: …Haruka-san.

Haruka: Good evening, Watanuki-kun.
It's a nice night, isn't it?
--------------
!!! page 02-03
The traces of summer left behind,

The feelings you wanted to deliver,

Are in the lengthening night--

Chapter 208
--------------
!!! page 04
Watanuki: Yes.
When September comes, it gets easy to pass the time.

When I'm awake, too.

Haruka: And within the dream.

Tomorrow is September 9th.
The Chrysanthemum Festival. [TN: 'Chouyou']

FX: Chirp

Chirp [of crickets]

Watanuki: In the lunar calendar,
right?

In the calendar now it's October…

Haruka: Yes.
But, this festival has multiple meanings.
--------------
!!! page 05
Haruka: You know about the five seasonal festivals. [TN: setsubun]

Watanuki: The jinjitsu festival, the jyoushi festival, the tango festival, and the shichiseki festival.
And the chouyou festival.

Haruka: Yes. The jinjitsu festival is the seventh day of the first month in the lunar calendar, and now it's a day on which people eat gruel with the seven herbs. [TN: Commonly known as Setsubun.]
Jyoushi is the doll festival on the third day of the third month; tango is children's day, on the fifth day of the fifth month.
Shichiseki is on the seventh day of the seventh month, the one day of the year that the weather and the herder can meet. [TN: Tanabata]

They were all in the old lunar calendar,
But they're each celebrated in the current calendar.

Watanuki: …That's certainly true.

Haruka: The five seasonal festivals are the foundation of Chinese yin-yang theory. [TN: Onmyou]
--------------
!!! page 06
Haruka: In yin-yang theory, odd numbers are positive, and nine is even greater.
"Chouyou" probably came from this idea that it's a day when nines are piled up.

Since the energy of the sun was too strong in the month of the final odd number, on the day with nines piled up, it was deemed unlucky, and this festival was established as an event to purify it.

Watanuki: So then,

They celebrated by drinking sake and floating chrysanthemum petals, and wished for longevity and exorcised ill will by decorating with chrysanthemum flowers.

Haruka: Exactly.

All five seasonal festivals were chosen on days with odd numbers piled up.

Except for the first month--jinjitsu isn't New Year's Day, but the seventh day.
--------------
!!! page 07
Watanuki: Is that because New Year's Day is celebrated on that day itself?

Haruka: Exactly right again.

As expected of the store-owner.

Watanuki: Please don't tease me.

But, according to that,
The ninth day of the ninth month is when the sun's energy is strongest.

Haruka: Yes, that's true.

Watanuki: Which means
That it's the most calamitous as well.
--------------
!!! page 08
FX: Blinking

Watanuki: …Mmf.

I woke up before I could ask about the important things again.

I wonder if that's not intentional, Haruka-san?

He was a person who wouldn't readily answer before,
But lately there have been a lot of times when the issue itself has been left mid-flow.

FX: Sigh

Watanuki: Is it still before dawn?
--------------
!!! page 09
Watanuki: But calendar-wise it's still the ninth day of the ninth month.

After listening to that conversation, I can't just sit back and do nothing.

But
Chrysanthemums?

FX: Curtains sliding

There aren't any chrysanthemums in the shop garden.
The best time to see them is the second half of the tenth month in the new calendar.

If possible, I'd want them with morning dew on the flower petals,

But it's probably too soon to obtain them.

There's nothing for it but be willing to incur a debt and make contact.
--------------
!!! page 10
FX: Boom

Ame-warashi: So.

While it's not even dawn,
You send this out to me,

FX: This

Ame-warashi: Asking to deliver a chrysanthemum with morning dew on it that will bloom until the middle of the day--
--------------
!!! page 11
Ame-warashi: OF ME.

FX: Bo-boom

Bird FX: Flapping wings

Ame-warashi: You've become impudent with these summonses.

FX: Wisping…

Watanuki: I thought that you, Ame-warashi, would be able to obtain them, even though they're out of season.

Ame-warashi: Why?

Watanuki: You said it before, didn't you?

Rain is essential to raise all trees and flowers.
So the ame-warashi hears their voices better than than anyone.
--------------
!!! page 12
Ame-warashi: …You've got a good memory.

Watanuki: It was an important conversation.

Ame-warashi: …Hmpf.
The price is costly.

Watanuki: Thank you very much.

…This…is…
--------------
!!! page 13
Watanuki: Zashiki-warashi's
Aura?

Ame-warashi: If you hadn't noticed, I thought I'd beat you with this.

FX: Brandish

Those are flowers that she picked personally this morning.

Watanuki,
When she heard that it was your wish.
--------------
!!! page 14
Watanuki: Give her my thanks.

Ame-warashi: Of course.

Really, she wanted to bring them herself,
But today is chouyou.

Very strong sun is poisonous to her.

Watanuki: Even though today is September ninth
In the new calendar?

Ame-warashi: Yes.
It's certainly a new calendar,

But now,

Is there anyone who considers things in the lunar calendar?
--------------
!!! page 15
Ame-warashi: Festivals are things that people celebrate.

They're things that people decide,
And people make decay.

They decide them freely,
And change them freely,
And forget them freely.

And isn't that decision being abused
Something they're granted?

Watanuki: I wonder what will become of the tab for that.
--------------
!!! page 16
Ame-warashi: People will pay it,

Someday.

FX: Creak
--------------
!!! page 17
Mokona: Welcome home!

Doumeki: Yeah, I'm home.
I have what you asked for.

Mokona: Yay!

FX: Bounce

Mokona: Summer Edition Beefeater! [TN: Gin]
As expected of Doumeki!

FX: Caressing

Mokona: That's right! Watanuki is making sake today too!

FX: Bounce

Doumeki: Beer again, or plum wine?
Did you help him out with the wine?
--------------
!!! page 18
Mokona: No,
Since today is a setsubun.

Doumeki: …Right.
September ninth?

But here the chouyou festival follows the lunar calendar, doesn't it?
Besides, for decorating with chrysanthemum flowers, sake is…

FX: Bounce

Mokona: But this year it's today.
He's even making chrysanthemum wine!
It's fun!
I'll drink a bottle!
No, more like a barrel!!

FX: Bounce

Watanuki's special!!!
--------------
!!! page 19
Doumeki: There's a rare power in here.
Did something happen?

Mokona: In a dream,

FX: Bouncing

Mokona: He saw him.

Doumeki: Was there an ill omen?

Watanuki: No.
--------------
!!! page 20-21
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!!! page 22
Doumeki: …You rebuilt the garden into a lake?

Watanuki: Like that's possible.

I collected water with magic, just for now.
--------------
!!! page 23
Mokona: I wanted you to do this in summer!
It's cool!! [TN: As in temperature]

Watanuki: This technique was very annoying.
The only thing that's written is "take coolness."

Doumeki: So what's the reason you did that annoying thing?

Watanuki: I thought I'd have the necessary things for the chouyou festival.

Doumeki: So this lake is necessary?

Watanuki: Yeah, and besides, water is the easiest thing to understand.
--------------
!!! page 24
Watanuki: Sit down.

FX: Slowly

Watanuki: Don't move until I say it's all right.
Don't make a sound, either.

FX: Swaying

FX: Slowly
--------------
!!! page 25
FX: Rippling
--------------
!!! page 26
FX: Drop plopping

FX: Ripple

Ripple
--------------
!!! page 27
--------------
!!! page 28
FX: Plop

FX: Light (of magic)

Watanuki: …It went in.

FX: Jumping
--------------
!!! page 29
Watanuki: Maru,
Moro.

Maru: Right!

Moro: In here!
--------------
!!! page 30
FX: Splashing

FX: Slowly…

FX: Light…

FX: Bubbling…
--------------
!!! page 31
Doumeki: Can I move?

Watanuki: Yeah.

It went off fine.

Doumeki: That's--

Watanuki: Chrysanthemum wine.

It's essential for the chouyou festival.

Really, you have to pickle chrysanthemums with dew on them in sake on the ninth,
But I had the idea of doing it today before dawn.

If I'd stood on procedure, it wouldn't have been in time.
--------------
!!! page 32
Watanuki: So I called a few spirits of liquor,
And had them help.

Doumeki: Alcohol spirits?

Watanuki: That's right.

Spirits of liquor will only come near pure water.

This garden's water is purified by magic, and the inside of the jar is the bottom of the well.
--------------
!!! page 33
Watanuki: Besides,
They were good chrysanthemums.

Mokona: You made good liquor!!

Watanuki: Yeah.

FX: Springing

Mokona: Yay--

Let's drink, let's drink!
Let's drink!!

FX: Kya kya

Watanuki: I won't let you drink from the pot.
--------------
!!! page 34
Watanuki: Maru, Moro, bring the side-dish I made along with glasses
And the snacks.

M&M: Riight!
Help out, Mokona!
Help out!

FX: Footsteps

Doumeki: But why did you think of it so suddenly?

Watanuki: Well, there was something Haruka-san taught me in a dream that Ame-warashi said to me too,

But at any rate,

If you're going to borrow the power of setsubun to cleanse evil,
Rather than not doing it so that you'll have regrets, it's better just to do it.

At least, enough for those people whom I want to stay in good health.
--------------
!!! page 35
Watanuki: …Which is to say, deliver the sake
To Kohane-chan, Obaa-chan, and Himawari-chan afterward.

During today.
I've already sent them emails.

Doumeki: Right.

Watanuki: Now then.

Next is decorating with chrysanthemums.

Doumeki: You drink it too.
--------------
!!! page 36
Doumeki: Drink it.

Watanuki: …Right.

---

I think I've mentioned before that Japan switched to the common solar (Gregorian) calendar on New Year's Day 1873; before that it followed the Chinese lunar calendar (technically lunisolar, but commonly called 'lunar'), in which the new year begins approximately in February--this is still celebrated as the Chinese spring festival/lunar new year, which changes every year; Setsubun is now fixed in the Japanese calendar on February 3.

Comments

[outou]

Thank you for translating, and as always for the cultural notes. Considering the Amewarashi's comment (and the fact that CLAMP considered it a good use of space to have Haruka talk about the lunar calendar and the timing of the five seasonal festivals), do many people in Japan not know about the origins of the festivals?

Also, if you'll excuse all the questions, what exactly happens on the days when even, negative numbers are piled on top of each other?

[starlady]

I don't think they're widely known, no--the names for the festivals used here are very obscure. The lunar calendar and the old lunar names for the months are still fairly well known, and even used every so often, however.

I forgot to put in a TN that "yin-yang theory" is "onmyou." And I'm not very well versed in onmyou (*g*), but I would bet that those days are very ill-omened (and that may tie in to the Heian system of ill-omened days/directions).

[ariadnechan.livejournal.com]

thanks!! i really miss your translation!!

[violett-crumble.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for translating this. (I hope Watanuki includes Doumeki on that list of people he wants to stay in good health.)

[uzumaki-kairi.livejournal.com]

Thank you!**

[doudidette.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much Starlady! This chapter is awesome ♥

[tsuyuhime.livejournal.com]

Thank you <3

[hoshiko-2000.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this! I wish they would hurry up and scanalate these chapters.

[questix.livejournal.com]

Thanks for sharing and taking the time to xlate. :)