Until recently up to 10% of the whole population of Japan would celebrate the Japanese New Year by running like hell to the airport and getting out of the country. Millions still do though, since Japanese are given extremely few chances to go abroad in the year, the Japanese festivals are quiet and dull, and escaping the bitter cold of the National Foundation Day (kenkoku kinenbi): According to the earliest Japanese history records, on this day in the year 660 BC the first Japanese emperor was crowned. February 14 Valentine's Day: In Japan, women give chocolates to men on Valentine's Day. It is not a national holiday. More information is available on the Valentine's Day page. The most special of these is celebrated on February 2nd this year (often February 3rd), Risshun, which marks the end of Winter and first day of Spring. It’s like Groundhog Day in Japan. It is believed that Oni, or demons, appear on Setsubun, and it is necessary to drive them away. The rituals for doing so vary by region, but the most common Name Date Remarks Ref. New Year's Day (元日, Ganjitsu): January 1 This national holiday was established in 1948, as a day to celebrate the new year. New Year's Day marks the beginning of Japan's most important holiday season, the New Year season (正月, Shōgatsu), which generally refers to the first one, three or seven days of the year. Japan’s Labor Thanksgiving Day is about appreciating workers specifically, rather than a general sense of gratitude. Its origins are in a ritual called Niinamesai (新嘗祭) that began in the seventh century. It was a day to celebrate the harvest at the time. In modern Japan, workers enjoy the day off and may attend union events. Japan, with its deep cultural ties to the natural world, celebrates a variety of holidays that honor the changing seasons, natural wonders, and the people who inhabit the land. In fact, Japan observes quite a few national holidays, totaling 16 each year. This number surpasses that of the United States (which has 11) and the United Kingdom (with 8). The history of Groundhog Day stretches back hundreds of years. about any information that Germany and Japan could use the day as we still celebrate it. 4. The Groundhog Day movie made the And the next day, the nation celebrates children during Kodomo no Hi. Japan used to have this holiday as Boys Day, while they celebrate Girls Day on March 3. The two holidays were eventually combined to celebrate all children in 1948. With Japan’s population of about 128 million, the Golden Week becomes the most eventful time in the country. The date of his birthday is celebrated annually as a national holiday in Japan. The Emperor’s Birthday was established as an official holiday in 1948 and has drawn a large crowd to the palace since. The Emperor of Japan, along with key members of his family, makes several short appearances throughout the day on a windowed balcony. White Day adds balance to Japan’s spring celebrations, offering a way to show appreciation and return kindness. Vernal Equinox Day (shunbun no hi) – March 20th or 21st Shunbun no hi (春分の日 / しゅんぶんのひ), or Vernal Equinox Day, is a national holiday in Japan that celebrates the arrival of spring and the balance of nature. Groundhog Day also happens on Feb 2, not March 31. It's also a more Western thing, specifically USA and Canada. Though other countries celebrate it on some level, I have never seen Japan do anything about it unless said Japanese knew about the day. To celebrate Groundhog Day, you can feast on wild grasses, grasshoppers, flowers and snails like all groundhogs do. Or you can have crêpes for dinner – tough choice but justified historically. Here’s a bit of history before a recipe and flipping tips to satisfy and impress the young crowds. Groundhog Day, in the United States and Canada, day (February 2) on which the emergence of the groundhog from its burrow is said to foretell the weather for the following six weeks. In the United States the most popular event occurs in Pennsylvania and centers on a groundhog designated Punxsutawney Phil. He apparently treats Groundhog Day as if it's some sort of important religious observance when in reality it's a totally insignificant event that nobody actually "celebrates" in that way. This line just makes you wonder what exactly he does to celebrate it which is just a funny and nonsensical thing to picture. Today all across the US and Canada, many communities celebrate their own version of Groundhog Day. In Canada alone, there are a half dozen places with a Groundhog Day tradition. In French Canada the day is called Jour de la marmotte. “Fred la marmotte of Val-d’Espoir” has been the winter forecaster for the province of Quebec since 2009. P UNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. – Groundhog Day is on Feb. 1, but the yearly tradition of watching a groundhog one day a year is about much more than predicting the timeliness of spring. Punxsutawney Phil The observance of Groundhog Day in the United States first occurred in German communities in Pennsylvania, according to known records. The earliest mention of Groundhog Day is an entry on February 2, 1840, in the diary of James L. Morris of Morgantown, in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, according to the book on the subject by Don Yoder. This was a 12. The film ‘Groundhog Day’ popularized the celebration. Previously, few thousands of people would travel to Gobbler’s Knob to celebrate Groundhog Day. The release of the 1993 Columbia Pictures film, ‘Groundhog Day’ starring Bill Murray made the celebration of this tradition quite popular. The number of tourists that visited In 1967, King expressed a great desire to visit the country and discuss his idea of nuclear disarmament in a letter addressed to the “People of Japan.” He wrote, “Japan knows the horror of war and has suffered as no other nation under the cloud of nuclear disaster. Certainly, Japan can stand strong for a world of peace.” Groundhog Day, February 2, is an unusual holiday. It is really more of a tradition than a day that people celebrate. A groundhog is a small wild mammal that lives in burrows. Legend has it that if a hibernating groundhog comes out of its burrow on February 2 and sees its shadow, it means that there will be six more weeks of winter weather.
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