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Nihon no Matsuri

Nihon no Matsuri. Oshoogatsu New Years’ Festival. Oshoogatsu. January 1 st “ Akemashite Omedetoo Gozaimasu ” First & most important festival of the year A family celebration Preparations include cleaning the house, decorating, shopping and writing nengajoo

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Nihon no Matsuri

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  1. Nihon no Matsuri

  2. Oshoogatsu New Years’ Festival

  3. Oshoogatsu • January 1st • “AkemashiteOmedetooGozaimasu” • First & most important festival of the year • A family celebration • Preparations include cleaning the house, decorating, shopping and writing nengajoo • Families visit temples & shrines to pray for health & happiness • Enjoy games like hanetsuki (badminton) & kite flying

  4. Oshoogatsu • Decorations – bamboo + pine needles at front door believed to keep evil spirits away & prevent bad things entering the house

  5. Oshoogatsu • At midnight on December 31, Buddhist temples all over Japan ring their bells 108 times • 108 symbolizes the 108 human sins in Buddhist belief • Japanese believe that the ringing of bells can rid them off their sins from the previous year & brings in a prosperous new year. • Then enjoy eating traditional New Year’s Eve noodles - Toshikoshi Soba - whose long noodle symbolizes a long and healthy life

  6. Oshoogatsu

  7. Nengajoo • New Year postcards are sent to family, friends & important associates • Often have pictures of the animal from the sign of the zodiac for that year • Gives best wishes for the coming year and words of thanks for the kindness received during the past year • Cards collected at post offices & are delivered all at once to homes on New Years’ Day

  8. OsechiRyoori • Special dishes prepared in advance & arranged in special boxes • All foods are eaten cold • Means the women in the family can have a break from preparing food & can enjoy the celebrations • May includes prawns, fish, seaweed, eggs, beans and vegetables. • These foods symbolise long life, good health and prosperity.

  9. Otoshidama • Received by children from relatives • Envelopes containing money • Can be up to 10,000 yen

  10. Setsubun Bean-Throwing Festival

  11. Setsubun • February 3rd or 4th • Setsubun, originally referred to the days marking the change from one season to the next. • Today it is only celebrated at the beginning of spring. • It is considered good luck to eat soybeans – one for each year of your life, plus one more for luck for the coming year

  12. Bean-Throwing • On the evening of Setsubun, many households do mame-maki – a bean throwing ceremony. • They fill a masu (wooden measuring cup) with roasted soy-beans & throw them about the room & out the windows. • The beans are thought to purify the home and drive away evil spirits & the seeds of misfortune. In addition, families pray for their well-being and good business

  13. Setsubun • “Oni wasoto! Fukuwauchi” • “Out with devils! In with fortune”

  14. Hinamatsuri Girls’ Day ~ Dolls Festival

  15. Hinamatsuri • March 3rd • Dolls Festival or Girls’ Day • Families set out beautiful & elaborate dolls & display them on stepped shelves covered with red material. The dolls are the Emperor and Empress, their attendants with various accessories and furniture.

  16. Hanami Flower Viewing

  17. Hanami • End of March to early May • Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers • The blossoms only last a week or two. • Today, the celebration mostly involves having an outdoor party beneath the sakura during daytime or at night. • The parties usually involve eating, drinking and playing & listening to music. Some parties may be celebrated well into the night

  18. Kodomo – no – Hi Childrens’ Day

  19. Kodomo-no-Hi • May 5th • Originally this festival was known as Boys’ Day. • It is to pray for the health, happiness and success for boys & girls. • Home with boys will put up a display of samurai dolls. • Families also fly carp streamers outside the house on poles. They are colourful &look like they are swimming in the wind. • Both the samurai & the carp are symbols of strength &it is hoped that the boys will grow up to be strong.

  20. Tanabata Star Festival

  21. Tanabata • July 7th • Star Festival • Based on a Chinese legend • To celebrate, people write poems or wishes onto pieces of paper & decorate a piece of bamboo with them

  22. Tanabata Legend • Vega (weaver princess) & Altar (cow herder) fell in love, making the gods angry because they were no longer working hard. As punishment, they were forced to live apart. • Only on the 7th July each year could the pair meet & renew their love for each other.

  23. Obon All Souls’ Day

  24. Obon • Mid-August • This festival is held to pray & honour the souls of one’s ancestors. • It is one of the biggest traditional events during the year, along with New Year’s. • It has been celebrated for almost 500 years in Japan. • People return to their ancestral family places & visit their ancestor’s graves. • The festival lasts for 3 days. • Is held in the heat of summer, so yukata (light, cotton kimono) may be worn for the celebrations.

  25. Obon • At the beginning of the festival, a small bonfire is lit outside the house to guide their ancestor’s souls home – mukae-bi (welcoming flame). • The house is cleaned & fruits and vegetables are offered at family altars. • At the end of the 3 days, another bonfire is lit to send off the spirits – okuri-bi (returning flame) and some release small lanterns down rivers or into the sea as part of the okuri-bi ritual. This ceremony often ends in a fireworks display.

  26. Bon-Odori • Bon odori – Bon dance: this is the biggest event of the Bon season. • People go to their neighbourhood park or shrine in yukata and dance to music. • The style of dance & music differs between regions – each region has its own local dance & music. Usually involves people dancing in a circle. • Other events enjoyed during this festival include carnivals, rides and games.

  27. Keiroo-no-Hi Respect for the Aged Day

  28. Keiroo no Hi • 3rdMonday in September • Celebrated annually to honour their elderly citizens

  29. Taiiku-no-Hi Health and Sports Day

  30. Taiiku no Hi • Second Monday in October • National holiday • Commemorates the opening of the 1964 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo. • Promotes sports and an active lifestyle, as well as physical & mental health. • Many communities celebrate with a sports festival which is similar to a mini Olympics. • Events include traditional track & field events, as well as tug-o-war, sack races, ball toss etc

  31. Taiiku no Hi • The festivals often begin with a parade, then the playing of Kimigayo (national anthem) and the raising of the Japanese flag. • Everyone will then spread out and participate in the group stretching exercises (these were developed by the Government & many people still practice it daily). • Every event has prizes for the winners. • The last event is the 4 x 100m relay or 100m sprint.

  32. 七・五・三 7 – 5 – 3 Festival

  33. 七・五・三 • November 15th • Children of these ages (girls aged 3 & 7 and boys aged 5) are taken to their local shrine. • Here their parents give thanks that their children have reached this age & they pray for their children’s future health and happiness. • Children will dress up in either traditional Japanese clothing or western-style clothing. • It is not a national holiday, so it is generally observed on the nearest weekend. • The ages 3, 5 & 7 are consistent with East Asian numerology, which says that odd numbers are lucky.

  34. ChitoseAme (千歳飴) • Chitose-ame = “1000 year candy”. • The candy is long & thin, and shaped like a stick. It is made of rice, barley and water – these symbolise healthy growth & longevity. • It is red/pink and white in colour – these are considered lucky colours in Japan. • They are placed in a bag decorated with turtles and cranes which, with their long life spans, are Japanese symbols of a long life. • The candy and the bag are both expressions of parents' wish that their children lead long and prosperous lives.

  35. Kurisumasu Christmas

  36. Kurisumasu • December 25th • Only about 1% of the Japanese population is Christian. • However, more &more families do celebrate Christmas by decorating their homes, putting up a small tree, giving gifts &eating cake (white sponge with cream & strawberries). • For most, it does not have religious significance & its not a national holiday • Japanese children like Christmas& many will receive gifts.

  37. Kurisumasu • It is also popular for young couples to spend Christmas Eve together & exchange gifts. • Most popular food is cake – often strawberry or chocolate sponge. • Turkey is rare in Japan, so many Japanese people eat fried chicken for Christmas dinner (in the 1970s KFC ran a successful advertising campaign & eating KFC has become a national custom. Orders are often placed many months in advance!).

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