The is an annual
festival
A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival co ...
with its own customs. Since 1873, the official Japanese New Year has been celebrated according to the
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years di ...
, on January 1 of each year, . However, some traditional events of the Japanese New Year are partially celebrated on the first day of the year on the modern
Tenpō calendar
The , officially the Tenpō sexagenary unitary calendar (天保壬寅元暦 ''Tenpō jin'in genreki''), was a Japanese lunisolar calendar. It was published in the ''Tenpō'' era (1830–1844) and was in use during the late Edo period, from 1844 ...
, the last official lunisolar calendar which was used until 1872 in Japan.
History
Prior to the
Meiji period
The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912.
The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...
, the date of the Japanese New Year had been based on Japanese versions of lunisolar calendar (the last of which was the
Tenpō calendar
The , officially the Tenpō sexagenary unitary calendar (天保壬寅元暦 ''Tenpō jin'in genreki''), was a Japanese lunisolar calendar. It was published in the ''Tenpō'' era (1830–1844) and was in use during the late Edo period, from 1844 ...
) and, prior to
Jōkyō calendar, the Chinese version. However, in 1873, five years after the
Meiji Restoration
The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were r ...
,
Japan adopted the
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years di ...
and the first day of January became the official and cultural New Year's Day in Japan.
Traditional food

The Japanese eat a selection of dishes during the New Year celebration called , typically shortened to ''osechi.'' Many of these dishes are sweet, sour, or dried, so they can keep without refrigeration: the culinary traditions date to a time before households had refrigerators and when most stores closed for the holidays. There are many variations of ''osechi'', and some foods eaten in one region are not eaten in other places (or are even considered inauspicious or banned) on New Year's Day. Another popular dish is , a soup with ''
mochi
is a Japanese rice cake made of , a short-grain japonica glutinous rice, and sometimes other ingredients such as water, sugar, and cornstarch. The rice is pounded into paste and molded into the desired shape. In Japan, it is traditionally ...
'' rice cake and other ingredients, which differ in various regions of Japan. It is also very common to eat
buckwheat noodles called
toshikoshi soba
is a traditional Japanese noodle bowl dish eaten on ōmisoka (New Year's Eve, 31 December).Bill Daley"New Year's Eve noodles: A savory end to the old year" Chicago Tribune
This custom lets go of hardship of the year because soba noodles are eas ...
on
ōmisoka (
New Year's Eve
In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the December 31, last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly ...
). Today,
sashimi
is a Japanese delicacy consisting of fresh raw fish or meat sliced into thin pieces and often eaten with soy sauce.
Origin
The word ''sashimi'' means "pierced body", i.e. " 刺身" = ''sashimi'', where 刺 し = ''sashi'' (pierced, stu ...
and
sushi
is a Japanese dish of prepared , usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of , such as seafood, often raw, and vegetables. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is "sushi rice," also ...
are often eaten, as well as non-Japanese foods. To let the overworked stomach rest, is prepared on the seventh day of January, a day known as .
Mochi

Another custom is to create and eat . Steamed is put into a wooden container and patted with water by one person while another person hits it with a large wooden mallet. Mashing the rice, it forms a sticky white
dumpling
Dumpling is a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of dough (made from a variety of starch sources), oftentimes wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, flour, buckwheat or potatoes, and may be filled with meat, ...
. This is made before New Year's Day and eaten during the beginning of January.
''Mochi'' is made into a New Year's decoration called , formed from two round cakes of mochi with a placed on top. The name ''daidai'' is supposed to be auspicious since it means "several generations."
Bell ringing
At midnight on December 31,
Buddhist temples all over Japan ring their bells a total of 108 times ( ) to symbolize the
108 earthly temptations in Buddhist belief, and to get rid of the 108 worldly desires regarding sense and feeling in every Japanese citizen. A major attraction is The Watched Night bell, in Tokyo. A traditional Japanese belief is that ringing bells can rid the sins of the passing year. The bell is rung 107 times on the 31st and once past midnight.
Nenga

The end of December and the beginning of January are the busiest for Japanese post offices. The Japanese have a custom of sending to their friends and relatives, similar to the Western custom of sending
Christmas card
A Christmas card is a greeting card sent as part of the traditional celebration of Christmas in order to convey between people a range of sentiments related to Christmastide and the Christmas and holiday season, holiday season. Christmas cards ...
s. The original purpose was to give faraway friends and relatives tidings of oneself and one's immediate family— to tell those whom one did not often meet that he/she was alive and well.
Sending these greetings is timed so they will arrive on January 1st. The post office guarantees delivery on that day if the cards are marked with the word ''nengajō'' and mailed between mid-December and a few days before year's end. To deliver them on time, the post office usually hires students part-time.
It is customary to refrain from sending these postcards when there has been a
death
Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
in the family during the year. In this case, a family member sends a simple to inform friends and relatives that they should not send New Year's cards, out of respect for the deceased.
People get their ''nengajō'' from many sources. Stationers sell preprinted cards. Most of these have the
Chinese zodiac
The Chinese zodiac is a traditional classification scheme based on the lunar calendar that assigns an animal and its reputed attributes to each year in a repeating twelve-year cycle. Originating from China, the zodiac and its variations remai ...
sign of the New Year as their design, conventional greetings, or both. The Chinese zodiac has a cycle of 12 years. Each year is represented by an animal. The animals are, in order:
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include ''Neotoma'' ( pack rats), ''Bandicota'' (bandicoot ...
,
Ox,
Tiger
The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on ...
,
Rabbit
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit s ...
,
Dragon,
Snake
Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more j ...
,
Horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million ...
,
Goat
The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of ...
,
Monkey
Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incom ...
,
Rooster
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adu ...
,
Dog, and
Pig. 2020 was the year of the Rat and the most recent start of the cycle. Famous characters like
Snoopy
Snoopy is an anthropomorphic beagle in the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles M. Schulz. He can also be found in all of the ''Peanuts'' films and television specials. Since his debut on October 4, 1950, Snoopy has become one of the most recog ...
, (2006) and other cartoon characters like
Mickey
Mickey is a given name and nickname, almost always masculine and often a short form (hypocorism) of Michael, and occasionally a surname. Notable people and characters with the name include:
People Given name or nickname Men
* Mickey Andrews (bor ...
and
Minnie Mouse
Minnie Mouse is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. As the longtime sweetheart of Mickey Mouse, she is an anthropomorphic mouse with white gloves, a bow, polka-dotted dress, white bloomers, and low-heeled shoes occasionally ...
, (2008) have been especially popular in their celebrated years.
Addressing is generally done by hand, and is an opportunity to demonstrate one's handwriting (see ''
shodō''). The postcards may have spaces for the sender to write a personal message. Blank cards are available, so people can hand-write or draw their own. Rubber stamps with conventional messages and with the annual animal are on sale at department stores and other outlets, and many people buy
ink brushes for personal greetings. Special printing devices are popular, especially among people who practice crafts. Computer software also lets artists create and print their own designs. Very social individuals, who have hundreds of cards to write, may go to print shops and choose from a wide variety of cards prepared with short messages, so the sender only has to address them. Despite the omnipresence of email, the ''nengajō'' remains very popular, although the younger generation sends hardly any cards. They prefer to exchange digital greetings via mobile phones, and in recent years the wider society gradually has come to accept digital greetings.
Conventional greetings include:
*
*
*
*
*
*
''Otoshidama''

On New Year's Day, Japanese people have a custom known as ' where adult relatives give money to children. It is handed out in small decorated envelopes called ''
pochibukuro'', similar to
Shūgi-bukuro or Chinese
hóngbāo and to the Scottish
handsel
In Scotland, Handsel Monday or Hansel Monday is the first Monday of the year. Traditionally, gifts ( sco, Hansels) were given at this time.
Among the rural population of Scotland, ''Auld Hansel Monday'', is traditionally celebrated on the first ...
. In the Edo period, large stores and wealthy families would give out a small bag of mochi and a
Mandarin orange
The mandarin orange (''Citrus reticulata''), also known as the mandarin or mandarine, is a small citrus tree fruit. Treated as a distinct species of Orange (fruit), orange, it is usually eaten plain or in fruit salads. Tangerines are a group of ...
to spread happiness all around. The amount of money given depends on the age of the child but is usually the same if there is more than one child so that no one feels slighted. It is not uncommon for amounts greater than ¥5,000 (approximately US$50) to be given.
Poetry
The New Year traditions are also a part of
Japanese poetry
Japanese poetry is poetry typical of Japan, or written, spoken, or chanted in the Japanese language, which includes Old Japanese, Early Middle Japanese, Late Middle Japanese, and Modern Japanese, as well as poetry in Japan which was written ...
, including
haiku
is a type of short form poetry originally from Japan. Traditional Japanese haiku consist of three phrases that contain a ''kireji'', or "cutting word", 17 ''On (Japanese prosody), on'' (phonetic units similar to syllables) in a 5, 7, 5 pattern, ...
(poems with 17 syllables, in three lines of five, seven and five) and
renga
''Renga'' (, ''linked verse'') is a genre of Japanese collaborative poetry in which alternating stanzas, or ''ku (''句), of 5-7-5 and 7-7 mora (sound units, not to be confused with syllables) per line are linked in succession by multiple poets. ...
(linked poetry). All of the traditions above would be appropriate to include in haiku as ''
kigo
is a word or phrase associated with a particular season, used in traditional forms of Japanese poetry. Kigo are used in the collaborative linked-verse forms renga and renku, as well as in haiku, to indicate the season referred to in the sta ...
'' (season words). There are also haiku that celebrate many of the "first" of the New Year, such as the "first
sun" (''hatsuhi'') or "first
sunrise
Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects.
Terminology ...
", "first
laughter
Laughter is a pleasant physical reaction and emotion consisting usually of rhythmical, often audible contractions of the diaphragm and other parts of the respiratory system. It is a response to certain external or internal stimuli. Laughter ...
" (''waraizome''—starting the New Year with a smile is considered a good sign), and first
dream
A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, al ...
(''
hatsuyume''). Since the traditional New Year was later in the year than the current date, many of these mention the beginning of spring.
Along with the New Year's Day postcard, haiku might mention "first letter" (''hatsudayori''—meaning the first exchange of letters), "first
calligraphy" (''
kakizome
''Kakizome'' (, literally "first writing") is a Japanese term for the first calligraphy written at the beginning of a year, traditionally on January 2. Other terms include ''kissho'' (), ''shihitsu'' () and ''hatsusuzuri'' ().
Traditionally ...
''), and "first brush" (''fude hajime'').
Takarabune

During the first three days of the
New Year
New Year is the time or day currently at which a new calendar year begins and the calendar's year count increments by one. Many cultures celebrate the event in some manner. In the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar system to ...
the Seven Lucky Gods are said to pilot through the heavens to human ports on the ''
Takarabune'' or Treasure Ship.
A picture of the ship forms an essential part of traditional
Japanese New Year celebrations.
Games

It was also customary to play many New Year's games. These include ''
hanetsuki
is a Japanese traditional game, similar to racket games like badminton but without a net, played with a rectangular wooden paddle called a '' hagoita'' and a brightly coloured shuttlecock, called a ''hane''. Often played by girls at the New ...
'', ''takoage'' (
kite flying
A kite is a tethered heavier-than-air or lighter-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create lift and drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. Kites often have a bridle and tail to guide the fac ...
), ''koma'' (
spinning top), ''
sugoroku
(literally 'double six') refers to two different forms of a Japanese board game: ''ban-sugoroku'' (盤双六, 'board-sugoroku') which is similar to western tables games like Backgammon, and ''e-sugoroku'' (絵双六, 'picture-sugoroku') which is ...
'', ''
fukuwarai'' (whereby a blindfolded person places paper parts of a face, such as eyes, eyebrows, a nose and a mouth, on a paper face), and ''
karuta
are Japanese playing cards. Playing cards were introduced to Japan by Portuguese traders during the mid-16th century. These early decks were used for trick-taking games. The earliest indigenous ''karuta'' was invented in the town of Miike in C ...
'' (Japanese playing cards).
Entertainment
There are many shows created as the end-of-year, and beginning-of-year entertainment, and some being a special edition of the regular shows. For many decades, it has been customary to watch the TV show ''
Kōhaku Uta Gassen
, more commonly known simply as ''Kōhaku'', is an annual New Year's Eve television special produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. It is broadcast live simultaneously on television and radio, nationally and internationally by the NHK ne ...
'' aired on
NHK on New Year's Eve. The show features two teams, red and white, of popular music artists competing against each other.
Sport
The final of the
Emperor's Cup
, commonly known as or also Japan FA Cup is a Japanese football competition. It has the longest tradition of any football match in Japan, dating back to 1921, before the formation of the J.League, Japan Football League and their predecessor, ...
, the national
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is t ...
elimination tournament in
New Year's Day. The final has taken place on New Year's Day since 1969 and is usually aired on NHK.
Mixed martial arts in Japan organizations such as
Pride FC
PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts even ...
and
Dream
A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, al ...
have held events on New Year's Eve and
Rizin Fighting Federation
Rizin Fighting Federation (Rizin FF or Rizin) is a Japanese mixed martial arts organization created in 2015 by the former Pride Fighting Championships and Dream Stage Entertainment president Nobuyuki Sakakibara.
Rizin was founded to be the sp ...
has held New Year's Eve events since its founding in 2015.
Beethoven's Ninth
Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, with accompanying chorus, is traditionally performed throughout Japan during the New Year's season. In December 2009, for example, there were 55 performances of the symphony by various major orchestras and choirs in Japan.
The Ninth was introduced to
Japan during World War I
Japan participated in World War I from 1914 to 1918 in an alliance with Entente Powers and played an important role in securing the sea lanes in the West Pacific and Indian Oceans against the Imperial German Navy as a member of the Allies. P ...
by German prisoners held at the
Bandō prisoner-of-war camp.
Japanese orchestras, notably the
NHK Symphony Orchestra
The is a Japanese broadcast orchestra based in Tokyo. The orchestra gives concerts in several venues, including the NHK Hall, Suntory Hall, and the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall.
History
The orchestra began as the ''New Symphony Orchestra'' ...
, began performing the symphony in 1925. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, the
Imperial government
The name imperial government (german: Reichsregiment) denotes two organs, created in 1500 and 1521, in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation to enable a unified political leadership, with input from the Princes. Both were composed of the em ...
promoted performances of the symphony, including on New Year's Eve, to encourage allegiance to
Japanese nationalism
is a form of nationalism that asserts the belief that the Japanese are a monolithic nation with a single immutable culture, and promotes the cultural unity of the Japanese. Over the last two centuries, it has encompassed a broad range of ideas ...
. After the war, orchestras and choruses, undergoing economic hard times during the reconstruction of Japan, promoted performances of the piece around New Years because of the popularity of the music with the public. In the 1960s, performances of the symphony at New Years became more widespread, including participation by local choirs and orchestras, and established the tradition which continues to this day.
[Brasor, Philip,]
Japan makes Beethoven's Ninth No. 1 for the holidays
, ''Japan Times
''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo.
History
''The Japan Times'' was launched b ...
'', 24 December 2010, p. 20, retrieved on 24 December 2010.
Little New Year
There is also an associated festival of , traditionally celebrating the first full moon of the new year, on the 15th day of the first lunar month (approximately mid-February). This is now sometimes celebrated on January 15, in various respects. The main events of Koshōgatsu are rites and practices praying for a bountiful harvest; is traditionally eaten in the morning and is involved in the
rice gruel divination ceremony. Further, New Year decorations are taken down around this date, and some temples hold events, such as at
Tōrin-in.
This corresponds to the Chinese
Lantern Festival
The Lantern Festival ( zh, t=元宵節, s=元宵节, first=t, hp=Yuánxiāo jié), also called Shangyuan Festival ( zh, t=上元節, s=上元节, first=t, hp=Shàngyuán jié), is a Chinese traditional festival celebrated on the fifteenth d ...
.
See also
*
Ōmisoka, the New Year's Eve celebration in Japan
*
First sunrise
*
Hatsumōde, the first Shinto shrine visit of the Japanese New Year.
*
List of Important Intangible Folk Cultural Properties
This is a list of 327 Important Intangible Folk Cultural Properties of Japan.
Criteria
# It must exemplify something original in the Japanese people's everyday life in terms of origin and content, and be typical.
# It must exemplify the process of ...
*
Customs and etiquette of Japan
*
Japanese festivals
Japanese festivals are traditional festive occasions often celebrated with dance and music in Japan. Many festivals have their roots in traditional Chinese festivals, but have undergone extensive changes over time to have little resemblance ...
*
Japanese calendar
Japanese calendar types have included a range of official and unofficial systems. At present, Japan uses the Gregorian calendar together with year designations stating the year of the reign of the current Emperor. The written form starts with t ...
*
Japanese cuisine
Japanese cuisine encompasses the regional and traditional foods of Japan, which have developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of Japan ( Japanese: ) is based on rice with miso soup and ot ...
*
New Year
New Year is the time or day currently at which a new calendar year begins and the calendar's year count increments by one. Many cultures celebrate the event in some manner. In the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar system to ...
*
Toso Spiced medicinal sake
*
Namahage
* Celebrations of Lunar New Year in other parts of Asia:
**
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar. In Chinese and other East Asian cultures, the festival is commonly referred to as the Spring Festival () a ...
''(Spring Festival)''
**
Korean New Year
Seollal () is a festival and national holiday commemorating the first day of the Chinese lunisolar calendar. It is one of the most important traditional holidays in both North and South Korea. The celebration usually lasts three days: the day ...
''(Seollal)''
**
Mongolian New Year ''(Tsagaan Sar)''
**
Tibetan New Year ''(Losar)''
**
Vietnamese New Year ''(Tết Nguyên Đán)''
*Similar Asian Lunisolar New Year celebrations that occur in April:
**
Burmese New Year
Thingyan (, ; Arakanese: ; from Sanskrit '' saṁkrānti,'' which means "transit f the Sun from Pisces to Aries) is the Burmese New Year Festival that usually occurs in middle of April. Thingyan is the first ever water festival celebrated in ...
''(Thingyan)''
**
Cambodian New Year
Cambodian New Year (or Khmer New Year; km, បុណ្យចូលឆ្នាំខ្មែរ ), also known as Choul Chnam Thmey ( km, ចូលឆ្នាំថ្មី ; ) and Moha Sangkranta ( km, មហាសង្ក្រាន្� ...
''(Chaul Chnam Thmey)''
**
Lao New Year ''(Pii Mai)''
**
Sri Lankan New Year
Shri (; , ) is a Sanskrit term denoting resplendence, wealth and prosperity, primarily used as an honorific.
The word is widely used in languages of South Asia, South and classification schemes for Southeast Asian languages, Southeast Asian lan ...
''(Aluth Avuruddu)''
**
Thai New Year ''(Songkran)''
References
External links
*
{{New Year by Calendar
New Year
New Year is the time or day currently at which a new calendar year begins and the calendar's year count increments by one. Many cultures celebrate the event in some manner. In the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar system to ...
January observances
Postcards
New Year celebrations
Articles containing video clips
Winter festivals in Japan
Buddhist holidays