Decisions of the Host
Before the ceremony, while planning, the host must make many decisions regarding the type of ceremony and the official details. Some of these crucial decisions include:
- the type of the ceremony: formal with kaisiki, one with a light snack, one with many guests, etc.
- the purpose of the ceremony: commemorative, memorial, religious, etc.
- the time of the day: at dawn/4 am. for February - March, morning/6 am. for cool summer mornings, or night/6-7 pm. for winter time
Invitation of the Guests
Once the host has made the above decisions, he will send out the invitations to his guests. Not only are there rules and details to be followed by the host, but there is also proper etiquette that applies to the invitation and the guest. One of the most important rules of accepting an invitation to a ceremony is to accept them in person, not in a letter. Not only is this respectful, but it also allows the guests to get a sense of how long it will take for them to get to the host's house. This is very important for the guest because they cannot be too late or too early, as it could be an inconvenience to the host.
(Sen 62)