Hari (needle)-kuyo (a memorial service for dull and broken needles) (針供養)
Hari (needle)-kuyo is an event to hold a memorial service for broken sewing needles and offer them to a shrine nearby. The event is mainly held at temples that have Awashima-do Hall which enshrines Awashima-jinja Shrine or Awashima-no-kami. The hari-kuyo event is held on February 8 (December 8 in the Kansai region).
People hold the service by offering broken needles to a shrine or sticking them in soft materials such as tofu or konnyaku (a gelatinous food made from devil's-tongue starch) and pray that their sewing will become proficient.
There is also a custom that people do not touch a needle on this day.