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ANNUAL EVENTS OF JAPAN

There are some special traditional events which take place in local areas during the year. Celebrations and rituals differ from area to area, and in some areas they take place in accordance with the lunar calendar.

JAN "The New Year"

The New Year is one of the most important occasions for all Japanese. Relatives living far away gather together to celebrate the New Year, wishing for the future health of every family member.

"Gantan"-New Year's Day

People pay the first visit of the year to shrines and temples with their families, or visit their relatives to deliver New Year's greetings. Quite a few people wear kimono on this special day.

"Osechi Ryori"-Dishes for the New Year

Specially prepared New Year's food, beautifully arranged in lacquer boxes. Many of the delicacies inside are named in hopes for the family's health and prosperity. If visit Japanese friend's home on New Year's Day, you may enjoy those special food.

"Otoshidama"-New Year's present

Originally otoshidama referred to the giving and receiving of gifts among adults on New Year's Day, but the custom has changes to that parents, grandparents or relatives giving money to children.

FEB "Setsubun"-Eve of the beginning of spring

A ceremony held on February 3, the day before spring, in which people scatter roasted soy beans in order to drive away goblins and draw in happiness. People collect up and eat an amount of beans that corresponds to their age, expressing the wish for good health.

MAR "Hinamatsuri"-Doll festival

Families with daughters celebrate March 3 by displaying hina dolls on a stepped sheif to express the wish for their daughter's good health and growth. The dolls are dressed in gorgeous kimono modeled after those worn by women in the ancient Heian court. Hina (Empress) and dairi (Emperor) sit on the top shelf, followed by san'nin-kanjo (three ladies of the court), gonin-bayashi (five court musicians), zuishin (escorts) and eiji (guards). Diamond-shaped rice cake, sweets and white sake are also displayed.
A ceremony held on February 3, the day before spring, in which people scatter roasted soy beans in order to drive away goblins and draw in happiness. People collect up and eat an amount of beans that corresponds to their age, expressing the wish for good health.

MAR "O-higan"-Equinox Week

Buddhist services performed during the week of the spring and autumn equinoxes (around March 21 and September 23, respectively). Pople visit their ancestors' graves, burn incense, and pray for the souls of the departed.

APR "Hanami"-Cherry Blossom-Viewing

People enjoy outdoor parties under the cherry blossoms in early April. They sit on mats under the cherry trees, eating, drinking, singing cheerfully and viewing the blossoms.

APR-MAY "The Golden Week"

A vacation that begins at the end of April and lasts until the beginning of May. Many national holidays are concentrated together during this week. Tourist resorts are crowded during this week, and recently foreign travels has increased.

MAY "Tango-no-sekku"-Children's Day

May 5, also called "Boy's Festival", is a day to celebrate the healthy growth of children. Families with boys display a helmet replica or samurai dolls inside the house, and fly koinbori (carp streamers) outside. The carp is thought to be a lucky fish symbolizing success in life.

JUL "Tanabata"-Star Festival

Tanabata is the Star Festival held on July 7. It is based on a Chinese legend in which Altair (the star of the herdsman) and Vega (the star of the weaver-princes), though separated on opposite sides of the Milky Way, meet once a year on this day. Children write their wishes on strips of fancy paper, which they put on displays made of the branches of bamboo trees.

AUG "Natsu-matsuri"-Summer Festivals

As summer arrives, festivals are held at local shrines. Young men wearing headbands and happi coats carry mikoshi on their shoulders, shouting "Wasshoi, wasshoi."

AUG "O-bon"-Bon Festival

A Buddhist event to hold memorial services for ancestors, from August 13 to 15 in which ancestors' souls are welcomed with sacred fire and seen off with a bonfire for escorting the spirits of the dead. During the o-bon period, vegetables and fruit are offered at bon shelves, and in certain regions, people enjoy the bon dance, performed around a drum set on a scaffold. In order regions, small lanterns on floats are set adrift on rivers, symbolizing ancestors' souls. Many city-dwellers go back to their home towns in the countryside over the summer holidays.

SEP "Tsukimi"-Moon-Viewing

A festival held at full moon in September (August 15 by the lunar calendar) to enjoy viewing the full moon and to celebrate the harvest. The seven flowers of autumn, and eulalia, tsukimi dango (rice dumplings) and vegetables are displayed.

NOV "Shichi-go-san"-Seven/Five-Three

November 15 is the day parents take their sons (three or five years old) and daughters (three or seven years old) in exquisite kimono or suits to shrines to pray for their health and growth. Shichi means seven, also go is five and san is three in the Japanese language.

DEC "End of Year"

The end of the year is the special period same with the new year for Japanese.

"Bonenkai"-Year-end party

A party where people gather to share and shake off the hardships they underwent during the past year and to prepare for the coming year with renewed resolve. Most parties are held at restaurants among office colleagues or friends. And the cities in Japan will be occupied by crazy drunks the every week end in December.

"Kurisumasu"-Christmas

Christmas is nt a national holiday in Japan. However, people have increasingly began to decorate trees, eat Christmas cakes, and exchange presents with family and friends on this day.

"Omisoka"-New Year's Eve

People pray for longevity by eating "Toshikoshi-soba" long thin noodles, hoping for the health of the whole family in the coming year. Buddhist temples start ringing their bells ""Joya-no-kane" late on New Year's Eve and continue in to the early hours of New Year's Day --- 108 times in all. 108 symbolizes the casting away of 108 earthly desires.