Japanese New Year Celebration Traditions
Shogatsu the japanese new year celebration falls on the familiar date of january 1 per the gregorian calendar but the celebration in japan is stretched out days before and after.
Japanese new year celebration traditions. The traditional winter holiday for the japanese is oshogatsu literally first month or new year. My father and i flew to japan to spend christmas and new year with my sister and her family in kawagoe last year. It s considered one of the biggest festivals in japan.
From weddings and birth celebrations to numerous matsuri s seasonal changes and the ringing in of the new year japanese traditions and celebrations are a wonderful way to learn about the culture. The official japanese new year is celebrated on the 1st of january according to the gregorian calendar since 1873. And while the absence of fireworks on new year s eve threw me off my senses the fascinating japanese new year traditions more than made up for the sudden change in the celebrations.
New year s in japan is a huge deal filled with festivities and traditions. Just as it is in dozens of countries jan. Joya no kane every year at the stroke of midnight on new year s eve buddhist temples all over japan ring their bonsho temple bells an even 108 times an event known as joya no kane.
The customs vary region to region and household to household but we hope this list gave some insight into some of japanese culture. In japan there are two different words to describe new year celebrations and new year s day itself. Discover both modern and traditional japanese new year s traditions.
There are many festivals and music that go on and specials on tv that air only once on new year s eve. The celebration of the traditional japanese new year is still marked on the same day as the contemporary chinese korean and vietnamese new years. With celebrations extending until january 3rd new year in japan is largely a quiet solemn family affair.
The japanese new year 正月 shōgatsu is an annual festival with its own customs. Since 1873 the official japanese new year has been celebrated according to the gregorian calendar on january 1 of each year new year s day 元日 ganjitsu however some traditional events of the japanese new year are partially celebrated on the first day of the year on the modern tenpō calendar the. Japanese new year celebrations are quite different from typical western ones.