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Japanese National Holidays and FestivalsJapan is blessed with 15 national holidays per year. A figure far higher than the UK's 9 or the USA's 10, but then again if you live and work in Japan you'll know that most Japanese tend to work a fair proportion of these national holidays anyway. Below we take a quick look at the national holidays plus one or two other dates you should be aware of.
This one is fairly universal. In Japan it's a time to be with the family and it seems as if everything closes down at this time, the silence on New Years Eve and the early hours of New Year's Day, in most residential areas, has to be heard to be believed! Many Japanese visit either their local shrine, or one of the major city shrines if they don't mind crowds, to pray for good luck in the coming year.
This is the day when all those boys and girls who have (will?) turn 20 years of age, put on their best clothes (kimonos for the girls, suits for the boys) and head off to their city office to receive a lecture on how to be good citizens and responsible adults. This is normally followed by groups of the participants retiring to an izakaya where they can now legally drink and smoke, 20 being the age that you can consume alcohol, smoke and vote in Japan. Kampai!
This is bean throwing day and marks the change between
winter and spring according to the Japanese lunar calendar.
Families will throw beans around the house and out of the
windows shouting 'Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi' (Devil's out,
happiness in). Afterwards you are supposed to pick up and
eat the same number of beans as your age.
This is National Foundation Day, a national holiday to
celebrate, well, the founding of the nation. After Japan
switched from the lunar calendar to the Georgian calendar
in 1873 they declared that the day of the enthronement of
Japan's first emperor (Jinmu) be made a holiday. February
was determined as the day of enthronement by calculating
the date corresponding in the Georgian calendar with that
written in the Nihon Shoki (The Chronicles of Japan). This
date has remained debatable between historians ever since.
Everybody knows February 14th is St. Valentine's Day, the day on which people send anonymous cards to their sweethearts; but the Japanese do it slightly different. The only ones doing the giving are the females, and they usually send chocolates instead of cards.
It seems to have its roots in a certain Japanese chocolate manufacturer who in 1958 started to promote Valentine's Day with the slogan 'the day women confess their love to a man with a gift of chocolate.' Only five were sold in the first year but it didn't take long to gain a foothold.
Today females give chocolates to everybody on Valentine's Day including work colleagues, teachers, friends etc. These are called 'giri' or obligation chocolate. The real McCoy is called 'honmei' but how can you tell?
Hina matsuri, or girls day, is when those families with girls
wish their daughters a successful and happy life. Typically
the family will display an expensive decorative doll set for a
few days ( the advertisements for these doll sets start to
arrive in the post well before Christmas!) and in days gone
by this was a chance for the daughters young friends to
come over for a party. For film buffs, Akira Kurosawa's 'Dreams'
has a great visualization recreating a hima matsuri of days
gone by.
For all of you males that received chocolates on Valentine's
Day this is your chance to repay the compliment by giving
presents of white chocolates, so as not to recycle the Valentine chocolates, to all your female friends, colleagues, lovers etc. Only in Japan...
This is the vernal, or spring, equinox and is a time for
families to visit and clean the graves of their deceased.
Why is it called Golden week I hear you ask? Well
with 4 national holidays falling within a week it's a
'golden' opportunity to take a break.
This used to be the birthday of Emperor Showa (1901- 1989) and therefore a public holiday. After his death it was renamed midori no hi or Green Day to reflect his love of nature and the environment.
On this day in 1947 the Constitution was put into effect.
Favourite of all the holidays, 'Between Day'. If two national holidays are separated by just one day then it becomes a holiday, unless it's a Sunday that is.
Used to be called boys day Tango no Sekku but as Girl's
Day isn't a national holiday and this was they decided to
change it to Children's Day, probably. Families with boys
hang carp streamers outside and display samurai dolls
indoors indicating strength, power and success in life.
This is the once a year meeting of Orihime and
Hikoboshi, represented by the stars Vega and
Altair. Legend has it she was a weaver, he was a
herdsman. Their love kept them from their duties
so as punishment Tenkou banished them to
opposing sides of the Amanogawa (Milky Way).
Both lovers became sad so as a concession Tenkou
allowed them to meet on the 7th day of the 7th
month each year if they worked hard.
The large sprigs of bamboo hung with strips of
colored paper, you find in stations and shopping
areas at this time of year are linked to this
festival. Below is a traditional Tanabata song:
This is Japan's newest holiday, having been observed
since 1996. Officially it falls on the 20th as this
corresponds with the date on which Emperor Meiji
returned to Yokohama after a cruise around
Hokkaido in 1876 but as with many national holidays
it is moved to the closest Monday to create a long
weekend.
It was originally envisioned that on this day we will
'redouble our awareness of the importance of the
ocean, be encouraged to appreciate the blessings of
the ocean and foster public spirit to take care of the
ocean.'
O-Bon marks the convergence of a Buddhist ritual
for the dead ( the word has its roots in the Sanskrit
word ullambana ) with indigenous folk rituals to the
ancestors praying for the health and prosperity of
the household. Traditionally it is believed that the
spirits of the ancestors revisit ancestral homes
during midsummer, and people take this occasion to
pay their respects to family graves. A mukaebi
( welcoming fire ) is kindled at the beginning of O-Bon
and offerings are made in homes with household
Buddhist altars. O-Bon observances end with the
lighting of okuribi ( farewell fires ). Family and
relatives gather together, enjoy each other's
company while honoring the spirits of those who
came before them, and then all go their separate
ways. This tradition is celebrated by some in Tokyo
and other big cities around August 15th, in accordance
with the lunar calendar which was officially replaced
by the solar ( Western ) calendar in 1872.
This is a day when we honour the elderly and celebrate
their longevity. The holiday was established to
commemorate the enactment of the law regarding the
Welfare of the Aged (Rojin Fukushi Ho) in 1966.
This is day of autumn and it is also used
to venerate one's ancestors. Visits to family graves and
family reunions occur on this day, the central day of a
seven day buddist festival (higan). A similar holiday is
celebrated at the time of the vernal equinox.
This marks the date on which the 1964 Tokyo
Olympics opened. You're probably asking yourself
but Japan hosted the Summer Olympics in 1964
didn't it? Well, yes, but due to the stifling
humidity of a Japanese summer the International
Olympic Commission agreed that October would
offer the best conditions for the world's top
athletes. Interestingly a lot of old Tokyo was
changed beyond recognition due to the
construction boom before the Olympics, as new
Tokyo vied to join the world's elite cities on an
equal footing.
Labor Thanksgiving day, kinro-kansha-no-hi, occurs on
November 23rd. It originated in 1948 as a
celebration gfor the people to honor labor, celebrate
manufacturing and give thanks to one another.h
Previously this festival was known as the Shinto
Harvest Festival, Niinamesai, and was held at the
Imperial Court. During the festival the Emperor would
dedicate the years rice harvest to the gods and taste
the new rice for the first time. The festival is apparently
still observed in the Imperial Court behind closed
doors.
The 23rd is the birthday of the current Emperor, or
tenno, Akihito. He is the 125th emperor since Jinmu
Tenno first ascended to the throne in 660 B.C. It's also
a great chance to get that Christmas done! © 2007 www.englishpool.net |
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