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Japanese Holidays

Tell me some too. After all this time, the damned things still sneak up on me.
 
Inuyasha-the-kid said:
:? What!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1]

I mean that despite all the time I have been here, I have never bothered to remember what the holidays are or when they come. So at work I am always surprised to find out that the next day is a holiday and I have the day off.
 
I do that too with certain holidays here, and I was born here and have lived here all my life! 😊😲:D
 
Golden Week is four holidays within the week. Which is, Green Day, Constitution Day, Between Day, and Childrens day.

Here are the Japanese holidays:
January 1-3 New Year (shogatsu)
Second monday of January Coming of Age (seiji no hi)
February 3 Beginning of spring (setsubun)
February 11 National Foundation Day (kenkoku kinenbi)
February 14 Valentine's Day
March 3 Doll's Festival (hina matsuri)
March 14 White Day
March 21 Spring Eqinox Day (shunbun no hi)
April 29 Green Day (midori no hi)
May 3 Constitution Day (kenpo kinenbi)
May 4 Between Day (kokumin no kyujitsu)
May 5 Children's Day (kodomo no hi)
July/August 7 Star Festival (tanabata)
Third monday of July Ocean Day (umi no hi)
July/August 13-15 Obon
Third monday of September Respect for the Aged Day (keiro no hi)
September 23 Autum Equinox Day (shubun no hi)
Second monday of October Health and Sports Day (taiiku no hi)
November 3 Culture Day (bunka no hi)
November 15 Seven-Five-Three (shichigosan)
November 23 Labour Thanksgiving Day (kinro kansha no hi)
(Changes With Emperor) Emperor's Birthday (tenno no tanjobi)
December 24-25 Christmas **Not celebrated by all Japanese only those who have accept Christianity/Western customs**
 
Another slightly different question about holidays.
When did Japan abolish the lunar calendar and officialize the Gregorian calendar?
Do you have a year?
Do you know if there are any local customs or traditional practices that have to do with the lunar calendar?
Maybe I should put this in one of the history threads.
 
lexico said:
Another slightly different question about holidays.
When did Japan abolish the lunar calendar and officialize the Gregorian calendar?
Do you have a year?
Do you know if there are any local customs or traditional practices that have to do with the lunar calendar?
Maybe I should put this in one of the history threads.


You might find this information of some value:
The lack of a perceived need for precision as well as isolationist practices in Japan often kept calendar reforms adopted in China and elsewhere in the world from finding their way here. While a lunar calendar was "officially" established in Japan in 692 by the Emperor "Jitou", accurate methods of astronomical observation and calculation found little acceptance. A good example of the difficulty of Japanese "astronomers" may be seen in the calendar reform of 1684. For the first time, Japan got a lunar calendar based on Japanese longitudinal coordinates. This reform was the work primarily of the "calendar scholars" Harumi Shibukawa and Anbu Yasutomi with their student and later colleague, Jinzan Tani.

In many ways, theirs is a sad story. Shibukawa and Yasutomi seem to have been more theoretical while Tani held sway in empirical investigation and calculation. Seeing the current calendar to be in error by up to two days, they had an uphill struggle against a general obsession with astrology, mystic assumptions of the emperor, disinterest by the Shogunate, and their own lack of information from the "outside" world. By this time, Jesuit missionaries, well aware of events in Europe, were helping Chinese calendar scholars to develop accurate ephemerides and thus more accurate calendars. Unaware of these developments, yet seeing "consistent" inconsistencies in their own observations and calculations, the three scholars of Japan, especially the empirically oriented Tani, worked hard to develop an accurate means of reckoning. While they were able to get a more accurate version of an older (1282) calendar from China adopted, they were nevertheless restricted by time and place from making advances that would have truly made their observations meaningful. While other reforms were introduced in the later Edo era, it was not until the Meiji Restoration that Japan joined the world stage in having a consistent and relatively accurate method for recording dates. This, of course, was the Gregorian calendar.

In modern times, many of the aspects of the "old" lunar system remain in Japanese culture including determination of some festivals and observances (such as "Tanabata" on the seventh day of the seventh month), names for years after the current Emperor (1996 is Heisei 8), and the old Chinese sexagesimal and astrological associations (familiar animals such as mouse, cow, cat, rabbit, etc.). While many Japanese faithfully continue to plan events with their "supplemental" lunar calendars, the Gregorian system is officially recognized for all legal transactions.
 
Holidays in Japan are so important. Of course there are National Holidays and then those that are not National but celebrated. Check this blog for all the holiday listing so you're not left out...happinessisjapan
 
If you run Linux, the following console-command will give you the list of Japanese holidays this year:
Code:
gcal -K --cc-holidays=JP --holiday-list=long 2009
In terms of accuracy, the mileage of the result may vary :)
 
Buddha Day

Buddha Day is not a national holiday but should be mentioned here. Afterall, this is listed under religion. 😊

Buddha Day is celebrated on April 8th in Japan as hanamatsuri. A modest celebration, befitting Hottokesama, is quietly observed at temples. :)
 
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Hi

January 1 is the New year for the Japanese people and they call it shogatsu, it is counted as a national holiday. February 11 as a National Foundation Day and they call it kenkoku kinenb.
 
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