Holidays and Celebrations: Japan

January

JANUARY 1-3
o-shogatsu (New Year's Day)*
Along with o-bon, o-shogatsu is Japan's most important festival. Lasting for three days, the aim of most of the ceremonies is to eliminate all the bad fortune of the past year and pray for good fortune in the coming year. New Year's postca rds are exchanged, and children receive gifts of money.
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THE 2ND MONDAY OF JANUARY
seijin-no-hi (Coming-of-Age Day)*
This holiday honors people who attain the age of 20 years anytime between April 2 of the previous year and April 1 of the current year. The Japanese Civil Code specifies this age as the attainment of adulthood. Prior to 2000, this holiday was celebrated on January 15.
A Related Interview from Cultures Speak

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February

FEBRUARY 3
setsubun (Bean-Throwing Ceremony)
In homes and shrines across Japan, this ceremony involves the custom of scattering soybeans around, in order to drive out any demons and to bring good fortune.

FEBRUARY 11
kenkoku-kinenbi (National Founding Day)*
Commemoration of the legendary enthronement of Japan's first emperor, Jimmu.

FEBRUARY 14
Valentine's Day (pronounced barentain dei)
On this day, young girls give chocolates to boys they admire. Women give chocolates to men from their offices. "White Day" on March 14 is the corresponding day where boys/men reciprocate by giving candy to girls/women.

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March

MARCH 3
hina matsuri or momo-no-sekku (Girl's Festival)
A festival for girls where families set up an arrangement of female dolls along with sake and mochi to celebrate.

MARCH 14
White Day (pronounced howaitto-dei)
This is the opposite of Valentine's Day; boys give chocolate and candy to girls.

AROUND MARCH 21
shumbun-no-hi (Vernal Equinox Day)*
Celebrated at the spring equinox, this holiday, being the central day of a seven-day Buddhist memorial service, is marked by visits to family graves and family reunions.

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April

APRIL 8
hana matsuri (Buddha's birthday festival)
Literally "flower festival," these festivals are held to commemorate the birthday of Buddha. The statue of Buddha is typically anointed with special tea in celebration of the ceremony.

APRIL 29
midori-no-hi (Greenery Day)*
(Week of 4/29-5/5 referred to as "Golden Week"; offices are frequently closed.) Designated in 1989 as a day for the appreciation of nature. Before 1989, this day was a birthday celebration for Emperor Showa who loved nature.

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May

MAY 3
kempo-kinembi (Constitution Memorial Day)*
Commemoration of the 1947 Constitution of Japan and celebration of hope in the growth of the nation.

MAY 4
Kokumin-no-kyujitsu (People's Day)*
A new holiday established in 1999.

MAY 5
kodomo-no-hi or tango-no-sekku (Children's Day)*
Although translated as "Children's Day," this festival is the male counterpart of hina matsuri. Cloth banners resembling carp are displayed outside while dolls in samurai outfits are displayed indoors by families with boys, in hopes that their children will be healthy and fit.

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June

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July

JULY 7
tanabata (Star Festival)
Tanabata is held on July 7, according to the modern lunar calendar, although the major festivals in different cities of Japan are held on August 8. Many families display tanka poetry written on strips of thick paper and hung from bamboo tre es. These displays, on a larger scale, constitute festivals in specific cities.

JULY 20
umi-no-hi (Marine Day)*
A holiday, established in 1996, for the appreciation of the sea.

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August

AUGUST 15
o-bon (Festival of Souls)
July 15 (lunar calendar) is considered as the day when ancestors' souls return to this world to visit. Typically, this includes the customs of (a) visiting family graves, (b) bon-odori, dances performed during bon season to welcome and send off ancestors' souls, and (c) shoro-nagashi, where ancestors' souls, in paper boats, are sent down rivers to the sea.
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September

MID SEPTEMBER
tsukimi (Moon Viewing)
Considered to be the most auspicious moon of the year, the "harvest moon" in September is celebrated by families making susuki (pampas grass) arrangements and tsukimi-dango (rice-flour dumplings) while viewing the moon.
A Related Interview from Cultures Speak

SEPTEMBER 15
keiro-no-hi (Respect-for-the-Aged Day)*
Commemoration of the enactment of the law concerning Welfare for the Aged in 1966. This holiday honors the elderly and celebrates their longevity. The elderly are invited out for entertainment and gift-giving.

AROUND SEPTEMBER 23
shubun-no-hi (Autumnal Equinox Day)*
Similar to activities at the vernal equinox, family reunions and visits to grave sites are important on this central day of a seven-day Buddhist memorial service.

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October

THE 2ND MONDAY OF OCTOBER
taiiku-no-hi (Health-Sports Day)*
Day of physical activity and sporting events to encourage physical and mental fitness. Prior to 2000, this holiday was celebrated on October 10, commemorating the opening ceremony of the 1964 Tokyo Olympiad. This day was selected due to government research which shows the least rainfall documented on this day.
A Related Interview from Cultures Speak

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November

NOVEMBER 3
bunka-no-hi (Culture Day)*
Day of cultural activities designed to encourage the ideals of Japan's postwar constitution, namely love and freedom. Commemorates the 1946 Japanese Constitution. Prior to 1945, this day was celebrated as Emperor Meiji's birthday.

NOVEMBER 15
shichi-go-san (Festival for children 3, 5, 7 yrs old)
On this day, families pray that their children will grow up happy and healthy. These three numbers are chosen because odd numbers are considered lucky. Three-year-old girls, five-year-old boys, and seven-year-old girls are dressed in their best clothes and taken to pray at shrines.

NOVEMBER 23
kinro-kansha-no-hi (Labor Thanksgiving Day)*
Day on which people show gratitude for each other's labors and production throughout the year. On this day, the Emperor makes an offering to the god of newly harvested rice.

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December

DECEMBER 23
tenno-tanjobi (Emperor's Birthday)*
Celebration of the birthday of Japan's present emperor who was born on December 23, 1933. People at the Imperial Palace offer their congratulations.

DECEMBER 25
Christmas (pronounced kurisumasu)
Stores, offices and schools are decorated for this day, although it is not a holiday (there are not many baptized Christians in Japan). More popular with younger generations, Christmas is a time to hold parties.

DECEMBER 31
omisoka (New Year's Eve)
Ceremonies on this day are frequently tied to those throughout o-shogatsu. Omisoka is a time of cleansing body, environment, and spirit in order to start a fresh new year. A ceremony typically performed on omisoka at temples across Japan is the ringing of the temple bell 108 times. Offices are usually closed from 12/28-1/3.
A Related Interview from Cultures Speak

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