Online dictionary of history and traditions in Japan: festival

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Hanamatsuri

花祭り花祭
alternative words: Hana matsuri
keywords: festival
related topics: Buddhism
explanation: Literal "flower festival", it designates any festival in spring when flowers flourish but the most famous is Sakyamuni Buddha's anniversary on 8 April. It is also called Kanbutsu-e or Goutan-e. It consists to settle a statue of baby Buddha in flowered altar and to pour amacha (sweet tea) on his head.

Hanami

花見
alternative words: Hanami party, Hanami festival, Ohanami, O hanami, Flower viewing, Cherry-blossom viewing
keywords: festival
related topics: Heian period , Toyotomi Hideyoshi , Edo period , Sake
related web sites: http://www.ffortune.net/calen/hana/index.htm
explanation: Literally "flower viewing" but in reality "cherry-blossom viewing", picnicking under cherry trees is one of the most popular spring festivals in Japan and has an old history because hanami was already popular among the Kyoto's aristocracy during Heian period. Gigantic hanami party carried out by Toyotomi Hideyoshi at Daigo in Kyoto is well known, but it is since Edo period that hanami has become a festival of everybody by eating cakes and drinking sake under cherry-blossom trees.

Mikoshi

神輿
alternative words: Portable shrine, Portable shinto shrine
keywords: festival , religion , thing
related topics: Heian period , Shintoism
related web sites: http://www.big.or.jp/~haru/
explanation: Originated from a palanquin to transport nobles, it was first used to transport a deity from Hachimangu shrine in Kyushu to Todaiji temple in Nara in 749. During Heian period, it became a popular practice to carry mikoshi to purify the land around a shrine in annual festival. Mikoshi is composed with an altar of about 50cm with a golden phoenix at the top and supported with 2 horizontal wooden bars of about 5m. The whole structure is carried by 20-30 persons, going zigzag and crying "wassho wassho".

Momo no sekku

桃の節句雛祭り雛の節句上巳の節句三月の節句
alternative words: Momono sekku, Joshi no sekku, Sangatsu no sekku, Sangatsuno sekku, Hinamatsuri, Hina matsuri, Girl's day, Doll festival
keywords: festival
related topics: Sekku , Tango no sekku , Edo period , Japanese doll , Heian period , Amazake
related web sites: http://home2.highway.ne.jp/hinachan/
explanation: One of 5 sekku. It is celebrated on March 3 of each year. Initially man had made dolls in paper crafts and let run away on a river with bad fates ("flow away" is synonymous to "forget" in Japanese). Gradually people had forgot the last stage of ceremony and kept dolls. Since Edo period, it has become "girl's festival" by setting up in the home, luxurious Japanese dolls of Heian style (Hina ningyo) on tiered platforms and taking a sweet drink made from fermented rice (Amazake).

Nebuta

ねぶたねぶた祭り
alternative words: Nebuta festival, Nebuta matsuri
keywords: festival
related topics: Tanabata
related web sites: http://www.jomon.ne.jp/~kegani/ , http://www.hikyaku.com/gallery/english/nebuta.html
explanation: Nebuta is a kind of old tanabata festivals practiced in Tohoku region and it is a variation of the purification ceremony which consists to flow away paper lanterns with everything evil by waters. Nebuta festival which occurs at the beginning of every August in Aomori region is an enlargement of these lanterns. But in order to avoid the pollution of sea and rivers, nowadays they are no more flow away but demolished on the place.

New year

正月お正月新年
alternative words: Shogatsu, Oshogatsu, Shinnen, New year festival, New year celebration
keywords: festival
related topics: Osechi ryori , Ozoni , Kadomatsu , Mochi , Kagami mochi , Hanetsuki , Hagoita , Japanese kite , 7 fortune gods , Takarabune
related web sites: http://www.komonsan.on.arena.ne.jp/htm/yeny.htm , http://www5.airnet.ne.jp/hukuta/nanyo/rekisi/kurasi.html
explanation: New year's celebration begins with 108 rings of Buddhist temples (joya no kane) and people go to shrines or temples for the first prayer (hatsumode). The house entrance is decorated with pine boughs (kadomatsu) while on the alcove, round rice cakes (kagami mochi) are installed as offering to year's god (toshigami). During 1 week, people don't work so housewives have prepared special dishes which are easy to cook (osechi ryori). Children are offered money (otoshidama) to buy toys.

Sanja festival

三社祭
alternative words: Sanjamatsuri, Sanjasai, Sanja matsuri, Sanja sai
keywords: festival , religion
related topics: Shintoism , Kamakura period , Mikoshi
related web sites: http://www.asakusa.net , http://www.geocities.co.jp/HeartLand-Gaien/1428/ , http://asakusa.pos.to
explanation: One of the 3 major shinto festivals in Tokyo along with Kanda festival and Sanno festival. It occurs at Asakusa shrine located inside Asakusa temple on the 3rd weekend of each May. According to shrine's annals, it began during Kamakura period from an oracle to worship 3 founders of Asakusa temple. It is really impressive to observe a parade of more than 100 portable shrines (Mikoshi). Binzasara dance shown at the start of Sanja festival is well known, too.

Sekku

節句五節句
alternative words: Sechiku, Go sekku, Five sekku, 5 sekku
keywords: china , festival
related topics: Momo no sekku , Tango no sekku , Tanabata
related web sites: http://www.kiss-net.co.jp/bukyu/seck/
explanation: Tradition coming from China which consists to make offering to gods at the seasonal changes. In Japan, man has celebrated 5 sekku (Go sekku), i.e. January 7 (Jinjitsu or Nanakusa no sekku), March 3 (Joshi or Momo no sekku), 5 May (Tango or Shobu no sekku), 7 July (Tanabata no sekku) and 9 September (Choyo or Kiku no sekku). They subsist now merely as festivals for children like March 3 for girls and May 5 for boys without any religious references.

Setsubun

節分
alternative words: Setsu-bun, Setsu bun
keywords: festival
related topics: Oni , Onmyodo
related web sites: http://www.mcci.or.jp/www/mameya/ , http://www.mycal.co.jp/saty/2_weekly/0105/
explanation: Ceremony which takes place at the eve of a new spring (Risshun) and a new year in old calendar. In new calendar, the date falls between 3 and 4 February. At that date, not only each shrines and temples observe traditional rites to dispel "oni" (Japanese demons) but people throw in home, grilled soybeans against those who are wearing oni's mask (mamemaki) by crying "oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi!", i.e. "demons go out, happiness enter!", then eat the number of beans corresponding to their age.

Shichigosan

七五三
alternative words: Shichi go san, 7-5-3 year festival, seven-five-three year festival, 7-5-3 festival, seven-five-three festival
keywords: festival
related topics: Obi , Hakama
related web sites: http://www.hareginomarusho.co.jp/753/ , http://www.nifty.ne.jp/forum/fkimono/753/
explanation: Custom observed initially among aristocrats to celebrate the growth of their children. At the age 3, man stopped to cut off girl's hair (kamioki festival). At the age 5, boys began to ware "hakama" (hakamagi festival). At the age 7, girls began to use "obi" (obitoki festival). Initially the festival was observed individually but now on November 15 for everybody. People bring their children to a shrine by dressing them at the best and distribute chitoseame: a long candy stick and means 1000 year candy.

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