National holidays in Japan. Photo, description and traditions

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Japan is a country of ancient traditions and complex history. At a time when many countries are trying to abandon their customs, the Land of the Rising Sun honors ancient holidays and watches cherry blossoms year after year.

The Japanese holiday calendar consists of fifteen official dates. During the shukujitsu period, which means “holiday”, the Japanese most often rest. However, the official calendar of holidays is diluted with many more events.

As you know, Japan consists of dozens of prefectures. Each of them has its own traditional holidays. But still there are holidays in Japan that are celebrated all over the country.

Cherry blossom

The cherry blossom festival in Japan is one of the most ancient and revered. The date of the celebration is different every year. The official day of the beginning of the flowering of trees is the appearance of the first flower on the sakura in the Buddhist temple of Yasukuni, located in Tokyo. On this day, meteorological services broadcast a message throughout the country that flowering has begun.

However, the cherry blossom festival in Japan is not an official event. To thatthere are no holidays and the like, but this does not prevent the Japanese themselves and tourists from stopping and admiring the beautiful trees.

New Year

O-shogatsu is the name given to the New Year in Japan. On New Year's holidays, it is customary to decorate houses with willow and bamboo branches.

For more than a millennium, the onset of the New Year has been marked by one hundred and eight bells in Buddhist temples. Each of them symbolizes the evil habits of mankind, driven away by sacred sounds.

After the final blow, almost all Japanese leave their homes and go to nearby temples to pray and make a wish.

Coming of Age

National holidays in Japan include Coming of Age Day. On February 12th, prefectural authorities are throwing parties for those who have just turned twenty.

On the eve of the holiday, everyone who has reached the age of majority in the last year receives a special invitation card. However, those who evade the accommodation tax will not be invited to the celebration.

These holidays in Japan became an official celebration only in 1948. Before that, young people were congratulated in a narrow family circle or in temples.

Setsubun

February 3rd begins with a polyphonic cry: “They are wa-a-a soto! Fuku waaaa oochi! , which calls for evil spirits to leave the house and calls for happiness.

The holidays of ancient Japan have an interesting history, and Setsubun is no exception. Buddhism is the belief thatevery object and thing has a spiritual embodiment. So in Setsubun in all houses they carry out the expulsion of evil spirits, or Mame-maki.

In addition to apartments and houses, evil spirits are also driven out of temples. This event attracts a lot of spectators. At the end of the ceremony, people dressed as devils run out of the temple, symbolizing purification.

Founding Day of the State

National holidays in Japan in February include the Day of the Foundation of the State. In 1967, the eleventh of February became an official holiday.

Jimma holiday was introduced not for the Japanese, but for world leaders. With this, the government decided to show that power in Japan is in the hands of the Emperor. However, for the people of the country it does not matter what political significance this day has. Most Japanese are patriots, so Jimma is important to them. The celebration is held with family, friends and winter sports.

Girls' Day

The country's national holidays also include Hina Matsuri, also known as the Girls' Day in Japan. The first month of spring in the Land of the Rising Sun is purely feminine. In addition to the eighth of March, peach blossom and Doll Day are celebrated. But only the Girls' Day has become a national day.

The first mention of this day dates back to the eighth century and the Heian era. On the third of March, all the girls are dressed up in traditional robes - kimonos. They visit friends' houses, congratulate other girls and receive presents themselves.

Spring Equinox Day

The twentieth of March is included in the official holidays of Japan. Spring equinox, or Higan,important to all Japanese. This holiday marks the beginning. On the eve of it, the inhabitants of Japan carefully clean their houses, put in order home altars and commemorate the dead. Translated from Japanese, "Higan" is the world where the dead have gone.

Meals on this day do not contain meat products. Ritual dishes are strictly vegetarian - a tribute to the fact that, according to Buddhism, you can not eat the meat of the dead.

The tradition of honoring the memory of the departed is one of the oldest in Japan.

Showa Day

The twenty-ninth of April is the birthday of Emperor Hirohito, who ruled the country in the last century. Over time, he was awarded the title of Showa. But the Japanese, honoring their history, decided not to forget an important figure for the country and perpetuated the memory of him by creating a national holiday.

However, April isn't all about celebrations for the birth of Emperor Hirohito. This month Kyoto hosts open days and residences of the current Emperor. Many people in Japan come to admire the grandeur of ancient architecture.

Constitution Day

Since 1948, the third of May has been an official holiday to celebrate Constitution Day.

After the defeat in World War II, the Japanese authorities were forced to change the country and accept the conditions of the victorious countries. Thus, in 1947, the sovereignty of the Japanese people was recognized, the country became a parliamentary one, and the great Emperor became a “symbol”.

Japanese holidays and traditions often date back to ancient times, but Constitution Day is relativelynew, it allowed Japan to start developing after the defeat and become one of the most influential countries in the world.

Green Day

Another holiday associated with the legendary Showa Emperor is Greenery Day in Japan. On the fourth of May, the Japanese celebrate a "natural" holiday. This event is connected with the love of the former Emperor for green spaces and trees. During the Showa Emperor's travels around the country, subjects planted new trees in the villages.

However, for the Japanese themselves, this is one of the holidays, in whose history they do not go deep. So, until 2007, Greenery Day was not celebrated on the fourth of May, the holiday did not have an exact date at all.

Children's Day

Children's Day, or the so-called boys' holiday in Japan, is celebrated on the fifth of May. Flags with koi-nobori - carps are flying all over the country.

According to ancient legend, a koi living in a deep swampy pond was able to overcome all obstacles and crossed the Dragon Whirlpool waterfall. After that, he changed: a simple carp became a dragon and ascended into distant skies.

It is for the strength and stamina that the carp image is used in the celebration. So the boy should follow the example of the fish and turn into a real man.

Mother's Day

Traditional holidays in Japan include Mother's Day. On the tenth of May, every Japanese family congratulates mothers. Although in recent years this holiday has become just a way to sell more gifts for dear mothers.

A week before the holiday in Japan, so-called gifts for mothers are put up for sale: aprons, bags, dresses,purses, cosmetics, perfumes, etc. TV commercials run for brands that offer discounts and gifts.

But regardless, all Japanese revere mothers. They believe that mothers are the center of every family and society as a whole.

Tanabata

The Tanabata (“Seven Evenings”) Festival has a history of more than a thousand years. The celebration begins on the seventh of July. The country is decorated with bamboo branches prepared especially for the celebration.

According to legend, the king of heaven, Tenko, had a daughter, Orihime. She spun clothes of extraordinary beauty. Her products were so beautiful that the father forced his daughter to work every day. But due to constant work, the girl could not meet and fall in love with anyone. Tenko, wanting to make his daughter happy, introduced her to the Hikoboshi shepherd.

Young people fell in love at first sight and soon got married. They spent a lot of time on each other, and therefore, soon the cows scattered along the banks of the Heavenly River, and Orihime stopped spinning.

Tenko got angry and decided to punish them. He separated them on different sides of the sky. But Orihime begged her father to have mercy and let her see her husband. Once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh month, when Altair and Vega cross, Orihime and Hikoboshi can see each other.

Obon

From the thirteenth to the fifteenth of August, a holiday is held throughout Japan during which the memory of the dead is honored. The three-day Lantern Festival obliges the Japanese to visit the graves of deceased membersfamily.

At nightfall, people release paper lanterns, symbolizing the souls of the dead. According to Buddhism, lanterns will help souls find their way home.

Although Obon is not an official holiday, almost all offices and businesses close during this period. Every Japanese tries to visit his home and commemorate the memory of departed family members.

Sea Day

Surrounded on all sides by seas and oceans, Japan celebrates a national holiday on July 20: Day of the Sea.

In the nineties of the last century, the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun began to realize the real value of the water surface off the coast of Japan. They began to actively advocate for the inclusion of the Day of the Sea in the list of official holidays. The result was achieved pretty soon. For the first time, Sea Day was celebrated already in 1996.

Respect for the Aged Day

Since 1947, the twenty-first of September has become the Day of honoring the elderly. The idea to promote it as a national holiday was suggested by Maso Kadowaki, who was in charge of Hyogo Prefecture. At first, a small part of Japan joined the celebrations, but since 1950 this day has become increasingly popular.

Until 2007, Honor the Elderly Day was celebrated on the fifteenth of February.

Autumn Equinox Day

Higan again. The autumn equinox is celebrated on the twenty-third of September. The dishes are again vegetarian: the Buddhist faith forbids eating the meat of slain creatures.

In the Buddhist faith Higan, like spring,and autumn, carries an ancient meaning. Regardless of the times and the situation in the country, the Japanese always honor the memory of the dead.

Sake Day

Holidays in Japan in October begin on the first of October - Sake Day.

Sake is Japan's national alcoholic drink. The process of its preparation is long and difficult, even taking into account the automation of the process. Sake is made from rice and contains thirteen to sixteen percent alcohol.

Sake is traditionally poured into choko, earthenware cups with a volume of forty milliliters. The bottle has a volume of one go, which is equivalent to 180 milliliters.

The Japanese try to stick to the rules when drinking sake. Drink easily and with a smile. Do not rush and maintain an individual rhythm. Know your norm and snack.

Culture Day

On November 3rd, the Japanese celebrate National Culture Day. It stretches for a week, during this period students have almost no classes. Senior students tell campus guests about their achievements and life at the university.

But the celebration takes place not only in educational institutions. Girls and women dressed in traditional Japanese outfits walk through cities and historically important parts of the country.

The Emperor's Birthday

The emperors of Japan, current and deceased, are significant figures. People revere their rulers even after 1947, when they became just a symbol of the nation.

December 23 is celebrated across Japan as the birthday of Emperor Akihito, who has alreadypassed the age of eighty. Emperor Akihito is the son of Emperor Showa. He was crowned on the twelfth of November 1990. Every year, more than ten thousand people gather at the Emperor's palace in Kyoto and greet him, wishing him continued prosperity.

It is worth noting that in Japan for several centuries the Emperor's Birthday has become a national holiday.

Interesting and mysterious eastern country Japan. Holidays and traditions, gods and Emperors. Japan is a place where every object is endowed with a soul, where the goddesses Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi rule in the sky. A country of Buddhism and ancient customs.

It can be difficult for European countries to understand the Japanese vision of the world, but it is impossible not to agree that their history and holidays are breathtaking.