1.
ground-breaking ceremony; Shinto rite before construction
A Shinto ceremony held on a building site before construction starts, to calm the deity of the land and pray for safety during the work. A priest purifies the site, and the owner and builder turn the first earth with a wooden hoe.
地 (land) + 鎮 (to calm) + 祭 (rite): a rite to calm the land.
Common collocations
- 地鎮祭を行う: to hold a ground-breaking ceremony
- 地鎮祭に出席する: to attend the ceremony
- 地鎮祭の準備: preparations for the ceremony
Cultural note
Still routine when a house or public building goes up, even for people who are not otherwise religious; skipping it is a conscious decision. The parallel rite held when the frame is raised is 上棟式, and the one on completion is 竣工式.