Ōmisoka (大晦日^?), New Year's Eve, is the second-most important day in Japanese tradition because it is the final day of the old year and the eve of New Year's Day, which is the most important day of the year.

People tend to be very busy on Ōmisoka because they have much to do to prepare for the new year, and New Year's Day in particular. Many even do a thorough house cleaning, called ōsōji (大掃除). The exercise is much like the annual spring cleaning that people in...

Shichi-Go-San (七五三, seven-five-three^?) is a traditional rite of passage and festival day in Japan for three and seven year-old girls and five year-old boys, held annually on November 15. As Shichi-Go-San is not a national holiday, it is generally observed on the nearest weekend.

Contents 1 History 2 Current practice 3 Chitose Ame 4 See also 5 References

History

Shichi-Go-San is s...

Obon (お盆^?) or just Bon (盆^?) is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the departed (deceased) spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and ...

Tanabata (七夕, tanabata^?, meaning "Evening of the seventh") is a Japanese star festival, derived from the Chinese star festival, Qi Xi (七夕 "The Night of Sevens")．

It celebrates the meeting of Orihime (Vega) and Hikoboshi (Altair). The Milky Way, a river made from stars that crosses the sky, separates these lovers, and they are allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the lunisolar calend...

Hanami (花見^?, lit. "flower viewing") is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers, "flower" in this case almost always meaning cherry blossoms (桜 or 櫻, sakura^?), or ume blossoms (梅, ume^?). From mid January to early May, sakura bloom all over Japan. The blossom forecast (桜前線, sakurazensen^?, lit. cherry blossom front) is announced each year by the weather bureau, and is watched carefully by tho...

The Japanese Doll Festival (雛祭り, Hina-matsuri^?), or Girls' Day, is held on March 3, the third day of the third month. Platforms with a red hi-mōsen are used to display a set of ornamental dolls (雛人形, hina-ningyō^?) representing the Emperor, Empress, attendants, and musicians in traditional court dress of the Heian period.

Contents 1 Origin and customs 2 In popular culture 3 Placement 3.1 First platform 3.2 Second platform...

The Japanese celebrate New Year's Day on January 1 each year on the Gregorian Calendar. Before 1873, the date of the Japanese New Year (正月, shōgatsu^?) was based on the Chinese lunar calendar and celebrated at the beginning of spring, just as the contemporary Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese New Years are celebrated to this day. However, in 1873, five years after the Meiji Restoration, Japan ad...