Can anyone tell me what the literal translation of Kagami Biraki is? Does it just mean Happy New Year? Thanks.

That is a new one on me,
Where did you hear that?
"Kagami" means mirror, but as far as i know, "Biraki" is not a word in Japanese at all.
The expression for Happy New Year! is "Akemashite Omedetou!"
-Tomu

an opening of a mirror
 

I asked the same question to one of my acquintances and she said "o-sake bakari!" which, probably means "only the alcohol's drinking" :-)

"Kagami" means "mirror" and "biraki" is the noun form (with a "nigori" (vocalization) of the "h" to a "b") of the verb "hiraku" which means "to open."

"Kagami biraki" is a term often used in dojo and places of worship to refer to the "opening" of the place in the new year. It doesn't mean "happy new year" but refers to this tradition and ceremony of opening up the place for the new year. Often, we would break apart a piece of hardened mochi (rice cake) as part of this ceremony.

The term for "happy new year" in Japanese is "shinnen akemashite omedetou gozaimasu."

Hope that helps,

-- Jun

No wonder I didn't see that..Darn inflections!
Mo!!! Nihongo ga sugokku muzukashi da na!!! :P
:D
-Tomu

Thank you very much Jun. I had a hunch you would be the best resource to go to for that information. That explains the container of mochi sitting on our shrine right now for our upcoming Kagami Biraki celebration. Much appreciated.