Japanese Holidays and Festivals Calander

There is quite a variety of Japanese holidays and festivals. Some, like the New Years and Obon (Festival of the Dead) are steeped in Japanese traditions while others like Christmas and Mother's Day have been borrowed from the western world.

There are also some recent ones, like White Day that have no particular tradition to them but are native to Japan.

Here's a list of the currently celebrated holidays...

January

• January 1
  New Years Day (Gantan or Shogatsu)-One of the most important if not the most important Japanese holiday. Shops usually close for this day and the next few days. People often get up early to see the sunrise and go to the temple. The night before, it's said to be a good sign to dream of Mt. Fuji, a hawk, or an eggplant.

• Second Monday of January
  Coming of Age Day (Seijin no Hi)-On this day people who turn 20 (the adult age in Japan) put on a Kimono and take a trip to the city hall to register as an adult.



February

• February 3
  Start of Spring Day (Setsubun)-Literally "the season divide" but for some reason it's only celebrated in Spring. This is a pretty popular Japanese holiday. The custom is to visit to the temples and throw beans at "Oni" (Demons) while shouting "Oni wa Soto. Fuku ga Uchi" (Out with the demons, in with the luck). It's usually a lot of fun.

• February 11
  National Foundation Day (Kenkoku Kinenbi)-A national holiday celebrating the day when the first Japanese Emperor was crowned in 660 B.C.

• February 14
  Valentine's Day-Unlike it's American counterpart, during it's customary for girls to buy chocolate to give to their male friends/boyfriends. There are two types of chocolate that are given "giri" (obligation) chocolate to their co-workers/teachers etc. as well more "honme" chocolate which is given to boyfriends/girlfriends etc.



March

• March 3
  Girl's Day (Hina Matsuri)-On this traditional Japanese holiday it's customary for families to give a set of extremely expensive dolls representing the Heian period royal family to wish the daughter a good life. It's common to keep this set of dolls the rest of their lives.

• March 14
  White Day-The opposite of Japanese Valentine's Day, men are expected to give sweets to girls. The custom is supposed to be that you're supposed to return a gift with something three times as good. So, on this day the sweets are three times as expensive. There are also three different kinds of gifts and each carries a different meaning. Lately though, the variety of things that are given has increased so any normal Valentine's Day-like gift is fair game. This holiday isn't as mainstream as Valentine's day but a fair amount of people celebrate it.

• Around March 21
  Spring Equinox (Shunbun no Hi)-A national holiday to celebrate the Spring Equinox.



April

• April 29
  Showa Day(Showa no Hi)-A national Japanese holiday celbrating the late Emperor Showa's birthday. Used to be "Greenery Day" until 2007 when it was changed and Greenery Day was moved. Part of "Golden Week".



May

• May 3
  Constitution Day (Kenpo Kinenbi)-A day set by the government to reflect on the Japanese Constitution created after WWII. Part of "Golden Week".

• May 4
  Greenery Day (Midori no Hi)-Before 2007, this day was celebrated a day prior to Showa day because of Emperor Showa's love of nature. Part of "Golden Week".

• May 5
  Children's Day (Kodomo no Hi)-Also known as Boy's day, it's common for families with small boys to wave carp streamers and show Samurai dolls in the hope their sons will grow up well.Part of "Golden Week".

• Second Sunday of May
  Mother's Day (Haha no Hi)-An unofficial, but nonetheless widely celebrated holiday, Mother's Day is very popular in Japan. Gifts including red carnations and chocolate are a popular way to say "thanks" to Mom.



June

• No Holidays



July

• July 7
  Star Festival (Tanabata)-A day derived from the Chinese star festival where two lovers are only allowed to meet on this certain day. The custom is for people to right their wishes on a piece of paper and hang it on a piece of bamboo.

• Third Monday of July
  Ocean Day (Umi no Hi)-This day was instituted by the government in 1995. There are no real customs for this holiday, but pools and places to swim often take down their prices a bit.



August

• August 13-15
  Obon FestivalA Buddhist custom for respecting the dead. There is a lot of tradition in this festival and it's one of the most important in Japan. A lot of people go home to their families and clean their ancestors graves. There is also a traditional dance that is performed called "Bon Odori". At the end of the festival is the Lantern Floating ceremony.




September

• September 15
  Respect for the Aged Day (Keiro no Hi)-Another government instituted holiday. There is no particular custom for this day either but the Japanese media tend to feature more elderly people than normal.

• Around September 23
  Autumn Equinox Day (Keiro no Hi)-It's the same deal as the spring one but in autumn. A national holiday to celebrate the equinox.



October

• Second Monday of October
  Health and Sports Day (Taiiku no Hi)-A day given off by the government for people to reflect on health and do sports.



November

• November 3
  Culture Day (Bunka no Hi)-A national holiday for promoting Japanese culture and arts. There are no widespread customs associated with it, but sometimes there are events.

• November 15
  Seven Five Three (Shichigosan)-A festival from the Heian period where three, five, and seven year old children are taken to the shrines in traditional wear. For some children this festival is the first time they wear traditional Japanese outfits.

• November 23
  Labour Thanksgiving Day (Kinro Kansha no Hi)-A day to pay respects to the laborers in Japan. There are festivals help throughout Japan but nothing common to everywhere.



December

• December 23
  Emperor's Birthday (Tenno no Tanjobi)-A traditional Japanese holiday celebrating the birthday of the current Emperor Akihito. This holiday changes every time there is a new emperor.

• December 25
  Christmas-Christmas in Japan is quite a bit different than its western counterpart. The religious overtone isn't as prevalent and Santa Clause is known, but it's not to the extent as the United States. Christmas is an extremely popular day for couples in Japan.

• December 31
  New Year's Eve (Omisoka)-Probably the second most important Japanese Holiday. On this day people usually stay in their houses and prepare for New Year's Day. It's also common to eat traditional Japanese food.




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