What are the Most Popular Celebrated Festivals in Japan?

Japan is one country which has so many festivals. The celebration of these Japanese festivals is mostly characterized by processions. Every festival is peculiar in its own way of celebration because some are quiet, while others are wild. According to Japan Talk, there are 200,000 festivals each year in Japan. That is quite a number. As many as there are, there must be some which are more popular festivals in Japan than others and by a larger population, if not all of Japan. Our interest is in those which are most celebrated.

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What is a Japanese Festival (Matsuri)?

Matsuri, which is Japanese for festivals,  generally refers to every civil or religious celebration in Japan. They are mostly particular to shrines. Matsuri traditional festivals celebrate Japanese deities through dances, shows, parades, processions and other activities. Matsuri are celebrated all year round and all over Japan. These times are really fun and lively.

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What are Some Summer Popular Festivals in Japan?

Summer is usually around the time when many public services are on holiday. Families and individuals usually take a break for a while and just have fun. Some of the popular summer festivals in Japan are;

Gion Matsuri

The Gion festival is a popular month-long festival which lasts the whole of July in Japan. It dates back to the 9th century and is of the Yasaka shrine.

The Gion festival involves grand processions of floats called Yamaboko. It is ranked as one of the 3 biggest popular festivals in Japan.

Aomori Nebuta Matsuri

Nebuta Matsuri is also considered one of the 3 biggest popular festivals in Japan. It is characterized by parades with huge colorful floats. The parades last for hours, and on the final day of the festival, fireworks are lit as the floats are set afloat on the sea. This festival has been designated as a world-tangible cultural heritage. Interesting right

Tenjin Matsuri

This is the festival of Osaka’s Tenmangu shrine, held on the 25th of July. The celebration entails a lavished procession through the streets and in boats. After which there is a firework display.

Awa Dance Festival

Awa is the most famous traditional dance festival in Japan which runs from the 12th to the 15th of August every year. It is very colorful and full of vibrant dance.

Mitama Matsuri

It takes place every year in July in Tokyo for four days. During these four days, twenty thousand lanterns light the Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo.

The costume for the festival is often yukata and traditional kimonos made of lightweight cotton. The festive atmosphere is full of Floats, traditional dance, and theatrical performances. Such a wonderful time.

These are just a few among the many others.

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Other Great Celebrations in Japan

Apart from the regular Matsuris, there are other celebrations in Japan which are great and important to them. These celebrations have significance to the people, so they celebrate those days in a special way. Some of the major celebrations are their holidays like;

Ganjitsu

This is the New Year holiday in Japan. It is a big event that they celebrate for about three days nationwide.

Kenkoku Kinen no Hi

This holiday is the national foundation day of Japan. Held on the 11th of February, on this day, the prime minister makes a speech about the national foundation, then families reunite and people eat special meals. The day commemorates the foundation of Japan and the ascension of Japan’s first emperor.

Hina Matsuri

Hina Matsuri is also known as Girl’s Day in Japan. It is a holiday dedicated to girls, during which parents pray for the good health and happiness of their daughters.

The 3rd of March every year is the day on which the holiday is held. Such a blessing to the Japanese girls.

What are Some Traditional Japanese Holidays?

Traditional holidays are ethnocultural rituals, defined by the global and national calendar, and therefore may be called the national calendar holidays. In Japan, they have several traditional Holidays which they observe and celebrate. Equally, we have some other Japanese festivities such as;

• Ganjitsu which is New Year’s Day.
• Kenkoku Kinen no Hi which is National Foundation Day.
• Hina Matsuri which is the Girls’ Festival
• Shunbun No Hi; Spring / Vernal Equinox.
• Showa No Hi; Showa Day.
• Golden Week.
• Summer Solstice
• Mountain Day.
• Keiro no Hi; Respect for the Aged Day.
• Taiku no Hi; Health and Sports Day
• Kinrō Kansha no Hi; Labor Day / Thanksgiving.
• Finally but not the least Tennō Tanjōbi; The Emperor’s Birthday.

The holidays listed above are generally the most popular and respected in Japan.

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Which is the Most Celebrated Holiday in Japan?

Holidays are a big event in Japan. The celebrations are done in such a big way that sometimes it could be confusing or difficult to know which of them is the most celebrated. As big as they are, it is not impossible to know which is most celebrated.

The Japanese New Year is usually the most celebrated holiday in Japan. It runs from the 1st to the 3rd of January and most businesses shut down to observe the holiday. The new year is generally celebrated all around the world but Japan celebrates it in a big way with many events.

They call the celebration of their own, Shōgatsu but the new year itself is called Ganjitsu. It is usually a wonderful time for families and the country at large.

Conclusion

The country just loves festivals and celebrations which reflect the people’s joyfulness. Japan carnivals are really a wonderful time and experience. They just add a lot of color to the country making it beautiful. The celebration of festivals has done a lot of good for Japan.

We hope that the colorfulness and happiness in their country will spread to the rest of the world.

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