| The New Year’s celebration in January is one of
the largest and most significant celebrations in Japan. It lasts for three
days. Before the New Year, the Japanese clean their homes, pay debts and
resolve old conflicts in preparation for making a fresh start. They decorate
the gates of their homes with kadomatsu made of pine branches, bamboo
and straw. A rope made of straw called
shimenawa is hung at the
entrance to the house.
Families visit Buddhist temples or Shinto shrines
to pray for good health and good fortune. At the stroke of midnight on
New Year’s Eve, bells ring 108 times to get rid of the evil spirits of
the past year. Dishes eaten during the festival are often red and white,
the colours of good fortune. Children are given decorated envelopes of
money called otoshidama. |
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| The second Monday in January is Seijin no hi
or Adults’ Day. All individuals who will turn 20 during that year are celebrated
in a coming-of-age ceremony. After the ceremony, the young adults are entitled
to vote, drink and smoke. In March, during Hinamatsuri, the Doll
Festival, young girls are given handcrafted dolls in royal dress that represent
the emperor or empress. On Shunbun no hi, the Spring Equinox, Buddhist
families visit family grave sites and hold ceremonies for deceased ancestors.
Golden Week, a week of national holidays in spring, begins with Green Day,
which celebrates the importance of nature. Children’s Day is a festival
that traditionally honoured boys but now honours both sexes. |
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Did you know? |
| People
sometimes dress in traditional kimonos for festivals and holidays. A kimono
is a floor-length silk robe. It has no buttons or zippers and is held together
by a sash, or obi, at the waist. |
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| In August, during O Bon (the Festival of
the Dead), Buddhists invite their dead ancestors to return. People visit
their family houses and light small fires to guide the spirits home. At
the end of the festival the fires and lanterns are re-lit to guide the
spirits back to their spirit world. Keiro no hi (Respect for the
Aged Day) is a national holiday in September that celebrates elderly people
and long life.
On Shichigosan, Seven-Five-Three Day, parents
take 5-year-old sons and 7- and 3-year-old daughters to a Shinto shrine
to pray for happiness and good health. The numbers 3, 5 and 7 are good
luck numbers. At the shrine, red and white candy sticks called Chitose-ame
(thousand-year candy) are sold. They are supposed to bring 1,000 years
of happiness to the child. |
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| January 1-3 |
New Year’s |
| Second Monday in January |
Adults’ Day |
| February 11 |
National Foundation Day |
| March 21 |
Spring Equinox |
| April 29 |
Green Day |
| May 3 |
Constitution Day |
| May 5 |
Children’s Day |
| September 15 |
Respect for the Aged Day |
| September 23 |
Autumn Equinox |
| October 10 |
Sports Day |
| November 3 |
Culture Day |
| November 23 |
Labour Day |
| December 23 |
Emperor’s Birthday |
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