Japanese festivals

January 1st-New Year's Day requires a day off, but actually it takes about a week before and after.

The second Monday in January-Adult Day celebrates the 2-year-old youth.

February 19th-National Day

March 2th or 21st-Vernal Equinox

April 29th-Green Day-Birthday of the late Hirohito

May 3rd-Constitution Day

May 4th-National Day of Rest

V. 22nd or 23rd-Autumn Equinox

the second Monday in October-Sports Day

November 3rd-Cultural Festival, the birthday of the late Emperor Meiji

November 23rd-industrious thanks day

December 23rd-Today's Emperor's birthday is

above. Besides these, there are many folk festivals, and the main records are as follows.

February 2nd-the day before the festival in beginning of spring, soybeans were sown to attract blessings and exorcise ghosts.

February 14th-Valentine's Day

March 3rd-Puppet Festival is also called Peach Blossom Festival. It is a girl's festival

early April-cherry blossom viewing

April 29th to May 5th-Golden Week

Second Sunday in May-Mother's Day

July 17th-Kyoto Gion Float Parade

August 6th.

November 15th-July 53rd is a festival for children aged 7, 5 and 3.

December 25th-Christmas Day

December 31st-New Year's Eve

New Year

In Japanese tradition, the New Year is a time to thank the gods who brought abundant crops, and also a time to welcome and bless their ancestors. The Japanese used to hang pine, bamboo and straw ropes on both sides of the door just to welcome these gods and spirits. At the beginning of the year, people express their gratitude to God and the spirits of their ancestors, and pray for a good harvest in the new year. For the Japanese, the New Year is the most important festival of the year. Many people make plans and make up their minds at this time.

new year greeting cards

during the new year, people receive

beautiful cherry blossom feast and national reproductive health survey

a greeting card from relatives, friends and acquaintances, which is called "New Year greeting card". I sent about 3.5 billion greeting cards on New Year's Day in 23.

Visiting a temple for the first time (Chuyi)

On New Year's Day, relatives and friends get together and everyone agrees to visit a Shinto or Buddhist temple. This activity is called Chuyi. If you go to a Shinto temple, people will choose a temple that is in a "favorable position" relative to their families. The purpose of paying homage is also to beg for a bumper harvest and family safety.

Meiji Jingu in Tokyo (3 million in 23), Kawasaki in Kanagawa (2.6 million) and Shin-soo Temple in Lany in Chiba (2.65 million) have the largest number of visitors.

lucky money

during the new year, children receive lucky money from their parents and relatives. Therefore, children look forward to the arrival of the New Year for a special reason. In recent years, it is common for children in junior high school or high school to receive lucky money of 5 or 1 yen each. Come together, children often receive lucky money totaling tens of thousands of yen.

New Year's Games

In the past, almost all children would take part in some outdoor fun activities, such as flying kites, spinning tops or a badminton-like sport called "feathering process". Indoor recreation includes "Song Plus Stay More" (a poker game), which tests the participants' memory of the poems in "One Hundred People", and a chess game "Double Six" similar to Gobang. However, today's children are surrounded by fresh and fancy modern game programs, and these old games are not so attractive.

Spring:

beginning of spring ("Festival")

According to the lunar calendar adopted in 1873, the calculation of months lags behind the modern calendar by about one and a half months. When spring comes, beginning of spring ("beginning of spring" or "Festival") is designated on the third or fourth day of the second month of the New Year. Some commemorative activities in beginning of spring are held on February 3rd or 4th, although it happens to be the coldest winter in Japan. On this festival, the Japanese open doors and windows, and people shout "ghosts go out, blessings come in" while scattering beans. It is said that eating beans equal to the age on this day will be beneficial to health. This custom was originally held in the palace on the last day of the lunar calendar, symbolizing the banishment of ghosts, cold and gloomy winter, and welcoming the arrival of new bright spring.

Puppet Festival ("Young Sacrifice")

Doll Festival is celebrated on March 3rd, which is not far from spring. This is an annual day for young girls to beg for happiness and healthy growth. On this day, every household displays dolls and peach blossoms in traditional court costumes, as well as rice cakes and dried rice balls offering a diamond shape. Doll's Day originated from the ancient belief in ritual cleansing. It is believed that human crimes and filth can be washed away in the purification ceremony by the river. Later, people used paper dolls in these ceremonies; After the Edo period (16-1868), these dolls were designed to look like toys today.

vernal equinox

The vernal equinox is around March 21st. On this day, people must go to the grave, mourn the soul of their old friends, and invite Buddhist monks to recite scriptures. A similar festival is called the autumnal equinox, which is commemorated on September 23rd every year.

cherry blossom viewing

At the end of March and the beginning of April, in most parts of Japan, cherry blossoms symbolizing the Japanese nation are in full bloom. The Japanese people held a picnic under the cherry trees and enjoyed themselves. Since the Edo period, the custom of picnicking under cherry trees has been very popular among ordinary Japanese people.

Golden Week

April is a tense time for students and new employees who have just started the new school year, and April also happens to be the beginning of the Japanese fiscal year. However, since the end of April, many people have the opportunity to rest for one week to 1 days, because there are just many festivals during this period: the Green Festival on April 29th, the Constitution Festival on May 3rd, and the Children's Day on May 5th. In addition, since 1985, May 4th has also been designated as a public holiday. Therefore, this period is called Golden Week. During this time, the weather is warm and sunny, suitable for short trips. Tourist attractions all over Japan are crowded with bustling tourists. It is famous for traffic jams during the Golden Week.

Children's Day ("Dragon Boat Festival")

Children's Day in Japan is on May 5th of the Golden Week. Traditionally known as Boys' Day, it is a festival specially set up for boys to pray for healthy growth and future career success. Customs such as inserting carp flags, dolls in samurai costumes, eating zongzi and cypress cakes are very popular in Japan. In ancient times, May was considered as the worst month of the year, and the fifth day of May was even more unlucky. The Dragon Boat Festival began as a purification ceremony to exorcise evil spirits and filth. On this day, the Japanese also have the custom of taking a hot bath in a basin soaked with calamus (a plant). Traditionally, this kind of leaf has curative effect and can drive away evil spirits.

Summer:

Qixi Festival (Begging for Clever Skills Festival)

This is the fusion of the legend of China and the ancient Japanese customs. Cowherd and Weaver Girl are separated from each other on the east and west sides of the Milky Way and can only meet on July 7th every year. It is said that in Japan, Chinese Valentine's Day began in Tianping, Emperor Shengwu for six years. On this day, people tie colored paper with poems and wishes on it on bamboo poles. The wish made on this day will come true. Today, Tanabata is celebrated in many places in Japan. The most famous places are Kitano Tianmu Palace in Kyoto Prefecture, Golden Knife Pyro Palace in Kagawa Prefecture, Hiratsuka City in Kanagawa Prefecture and Takaoka City in Toyama Prefecture. In addition, the celebration of Tanabata in Sendai is one month after Tanabata in other parts of Japan, that is, August 7, which is closer to the date that should have been Tanabata according to the lunar calendar.

Fireworks

In summer, the night sky in Japan is dotted with colorful fireworks, and fireworks shows are held in many places. Japanese fireworks technology is said to be the best in the world, which was handed down from the Edo era. Today, fireworks displays are often controlled by computers, and their accuracy and spectacular effects can be guaranteed. In Tokyo, the fireworks display along the Sumida River has been very famous since the Edo period.

Bones Festival ("Bones")

"Bones" is an annual day to greet and comfort the ancestors. It is said that the spirits of ancestors came home on this day. Traditionally, the "basin" is commemorated on the 17th day of July in the lunar calendar. Now, some people are doing related activities from July 13th to 15th, while others are from August 13th to 15th. On the 13th, people lit a fire to welcome the spirits of their ancestors. On the 16th, people lit a farewell fire to send the spirits of their ancestors back. During the "basin" period, many companies and shops take vacations, because people who work in different places have to go back with their wives and children. As in the Golden Week, the traffic will be very heavy at this time.

Autumn:

Mid-Autumn Festival ("See you in the Moon")

According to the lunar calendar, the full moon is around the middle of September, which is the Mid-Autumn Festival. People get together to enjoy the moon on this day. This custom originated in China and spread to Japan in Heian period (794–1185). On this festival, people decorate their houses with grass and dedicate their own rice flour balls to the moon together with the crops harvested in autumn.

July 53

November 15th is the day when three-year-old and five-year-old boys and five-year-old and seven-year-old girls visit the shrine. According to tradition, little boys wear men's kimonos and little girls wear kimonos. But now, children wear other clothes, too. On this day, children's parents will go to the store to buy a kind of candy called Chitose candy for their children. It is said that this kind of candy brings children a long life. The whole family is busy, eating red bean rice and bream with the head and tail.

Winter:

Year-end party ("Forget the Year")

Since December, Japanese people like to hold many year-end parties in bars and restaurants, which are called "Forget the Year". The purpose of these parties is to thank people for their hard work, forget their unhappiness and enjoy themselves at the end of the year. Japanese people like this kind of party very much, and people of different ages and groups, including students and company employees, are busy planning these activities. In most cases, this kind of party is organized by the company and paid for.

Christmas

In Japan, Christmas is becoming more and more popular. Whether Christians or not, people like to decorate Christmas trees, eat Christmas cakes and exchange gifts with each other. This is a happy time for children, who are waiting for Santa Claus to bring presents.

New Year's Eve ("big dark day")

After Christmas and a grand year-end party, it will soon be December 31st, which is the New Year's Eve in Japan. Before midnight, Buddhist temples all over the country ring the New Year bell. This ceremony is called "Night Bell". The bell strikes 18 times, symbolizing the purification of 18 secular desires. Then, with the celebration of the first month kicked off, the new year began.