Post by dragonmaster on Jul 13, 2005 5:11:05 GMT -5
Seasonal Event:
New Year's Eve:
Japanese prepare for the New Year .
Temples ring the watch-night bell 108 times in this night,wishing to relieve the human sufferings caused by men's earthly desires,according to Buddhist belief.
Some Japanese eat toshikoshi-soba (buckwheat noodle)on this night.
Especially the first three days or the first week of the year .
Japanese send New Year cards.This is like X'mas card.
Many people pay the year's first visit to temples and shrines.
Some people drink o-toso(special sake) and eat o-zouni(rice cakes boiled with vegetables)in the morning.
Coming of Age Day:
When people become legal age 20.
This is the national holiday.
The local government plays host to them at a ceremony held in the City Hall.
Girls wear a kimono made up specially for this occasion.
National Foundation Day:
In prewar times people celebrated the birth of the country.It was a symbolic representation of the emperor system of Japan.
As Japanese imperialism was relinquished with the advent of the post-war constitution,this celebration was abolished.
In 1966,the Japanese Government decided it establish this date again as National Foundation Day.
It seems that many people are still wondering whether this is the right date to celebrate their national foundation.
The Doll Festival:
It is the Girl's Festival. A group of beautifully dressed dolls are displayed on tiers o shelves in the home of the family that has a young girl.
The dolls represent members of the ancient imperial court.
Sweet rice wine called shirozake is prepared on this day.
Children's Day:
It is actually celebrated as the Boy's Festival.
To celebrate the future of their sons,families hoist koinobori from balconies and flagpoles.the koinobori is cloth constructed carp.
Children eat kashiwa-mochi.It is a rice cake wrapped in an oak leaf. On Children's Day, families with boys fly huge carp-shaped streamers (koinobori) outside the house and display dolls of famous warriors and other heroes inside. The carp was chosen because it symbolizes strength and success; according to a Chinese legend, a carp swam upstream to become a dragon.
New Year's Eve:
Japanese prepare for the New Year .
Temples ring the watch-night bell 108 times in this night,wishing to relieve the human sufferings caused by men's earthly desires,according to Buddhist belief.
Some Japanese eat toshikoshi-soba (buckwheat noodle)on this night.
Especially the first three days or the first week of the year .
Japanese send New Year cards.This is like X'mas card.
Many people pay the year's first visit to temples and shrines.
Some people drink o-toso(special sake) and eat o-zouni(rice cakes boiled with vegetables)in the morning.
Coming of Age Day:
When people become legal age 20.
This is the national holiday.
The local government plays host to them at a ceremony held in the City Hall.
Girls wear a kimono made up specially for this occasion.
National Foundation Day:
In prewar times people celebrated the birth of the country.It was a symbolic representation of the emperor system of Japan.
As Japanese imperialism was relinquished with the advent of the post-war constitution,this celebration was abolished.
In 1966,the Japanese Government decided it establish this date again as National Foundation Day.
It seems that many people are still wondering whether this is the right date to celebrate their national foundation.
The Doll Festival:
It is the Girl's Festival. A group of beautifully dressed dolls are displayed on tiers o shelves in the home of the family that has a young girl.
The dolls represent members of the ancient imperial court.
Sweet rice wine called shirozake is prepared on this day.
Children's Day:
It is actually celebrated as the Boy's Festival.
To celebrate the future of their sons,families hoist koinobori from balconies and flagpoles.the koinobori is cloth constructed carp.
Children eat kashiwa-mochi.It is a rice cake wrapped in an oak leaf. On Children's Day, families with boys fly huge carp-shaped streamers (koinobori) outside the house and display dolls of famous warriors and other heroes inside. The carp was chosen because it symbolizes strength and success; according to a Chinese legend, a carp swam upstream to become a dragon.