Japanese calendar Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Since January 1, 1873, Japan has used the Gregorian Calendar, with local names for the months and mostly fixed holidays. Before 1873 a lunisolar calendar was in use, which was adapted from the Chinese calendar.
| Table of contents |
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2 Months 3 Days of the month 4 Days of the week 5 Holidays 6 Seasonal festivals 7 Rokuyō 8 See also 9 External links |
Here is a list of the traditional names.
The name of month: (pronunciation, literal meaning)
Each day of the month has a semi-systematic but irregularly formed name:
Years
Since the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, three different systems for counting years have been used in Japan:
Of the these three, the first two are still in current use; the imperial calendar was used until the end of World War II, though still maintained in some official contexts.Months
The modern Japanese names for the months literally translate to "first month," "second month," and so on. The corresponding number is combined with the suffix -gatsu (month):
In addition, every month has a traditional name, still used by some in fields such as poetry; of the twelve, shiwasu is still widely used today. The opening paragraph of a letter or the greeting in a speech might borrow one of these names to convey a sense of the season. Some, such as yayoi and satsuki, do double duty as given names (for women). These month names also appear from time to time on jidaigeki, which are contemporary television shows and movies set in the Edo period or earlier. Days of the month
| 1 | 一日 | tsuitachi | 2 | 二日 | futsuka |
| 3 | 三日 | mikka | 4 | 四日 | yokka |
| 5 | 五日 | itsuka | 6 | 六日 | muika |
| 7 | 七日 | nanoka | 8 | 八日 | yōka |
| 9 | 九日 | kokonoka | 10 | 十日 | tōka |
| 11 | 十一日 | jūichinichi | 12 | 十二日 | jūninichi |
| 13 | 十三日 | jūsannichi | 14 | 十四日 | jūyokka |
| 15 | 十五日 | jūgonichi | 16 | 十六日 | jūrokunichi |
| 17 | 十七日 | jūshichinichi | 18 | 十八日 | jūhachinichi |
| 19 | 十九日 | jūkunichi | 20 | 二十日 | hatsuka (occasionally, nijūnichi) |
| 21 | 二十一日 | nijūichinichi | 22 | 二十二日 | nijūninichi |
| 23 | 二十三日 | nijūsannichi | 24 | 二十四日 | nijūyokka |
| 25 | 二十五日 | nijūgonichi | 26 | 二十六日 | nijūrokunichi |
| 27 | 二十七日 | nijūshichinichi | 28 | 二十八日 | nijūhachinichi |
| 29 | 二十九日 | nijūkunichi | 30 | 三十日 | sanjūnichi |
| 31 | 三十一日 | sanjūichinichi |
In the traditional calendar, the thirtieth was the last day of the month, and its traditional name, misoka, survives (although sanjunichi is far more common, and is the usual term). The last day of the year is ōmisoka; (the big thirtieth day), and that term is still in use.
| 月曜日 | getsuyōbi | Moon | Monday |
| 火曜日 | kayōbi | Fire | Tuesday |
| 水曜日 | suiyōbi | Water | Wednesday |
| 木曜日 | mokuyōbi | Wood | Thursday |
| 金曜日 | kinyōbi | Metal/Gold | Friday |
| 土曜日 | doyōbi | Earth | Saturday |
| 日曜日 | nichiyōbi | Sun | Sunday |
| Date | English Name | Local Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | New Year's Day | 元日 | |
| Moveable Monday | Coming-of-age Day | 成人の日 | 2nd Monday of January |
| February 11 | National Foundation Day | 建国記念日 | |
| March 20 or 21 | Vernal Equinox Day | 春分の日 | |
| April 29 | Greenery Day | みどりの日 | Golden Week |
| May 3 | Constitution Memorial Day | 憲法記念日 | |
| May 4 | National Holiday | ||
| May 5 | Children's Day | 子供の日 | |
| Moveable Monday | Maritime Day | 海の日 | 3rd Monday of July |
| Moveable Monday | Respect for the Aged Day | 敬老の日 | 3rd Monday of September |
| September 23 or 24 | Autumnal Equinox Day | 秋分の日 | |
| Moveable Monday | Health-Sports Day | 体育の日 | 2nd Monday of October |
| November 3 | Culture Day | 文化の日 | |
| November 23 | Labor Thanksgiving Day | 勤労感謝の日 | |
| December 23 | The Emperor's Birthday | 天皇誕生日 |
The list and the table are to be merged.
The list of national holidays:
- January 1 - Ganjitsu New Year's Day (since 1948)
- The second Monday in January - Seijin no hi Coming of Age Day. Until 1999, the day was on January 15 (since 1948)
- February 11 - Kenkoku kinen no hi National Foundation Day)
- March 21 - Vernal Equinox Day (since 1966) The day may vary according to the law.
- April 29 - Midori no hi Greenery Day (since 1989)
- May 3 - Constitution Memorial Day (since 1948)
- May 4 - Kokumin no kyūjitsu National Holiday (since 1985)
- May 5 - Kodomo no hi Children's Day (since 1948)
- The third Monday in July - Umi no hi Marine Day. Until 2002, the day was on July 20 (since 1995)
- The third Monday in September - Keirō no hi Respect for the Aged Day. Until 2002, the day was on September 15 (since 1966)
- September 22 - Kokumin no kyūjitsu National Holiday (since 2003). This day appears occasionally according to the law. The day is predicted to appear in 2009 unless the law remains same.
- September 23 - Autumnal Equinox Day (since 1948)
- The second Monday in October - Taiiku no hi Health and Sports Day. Until 1999, the day was on October 10 (since 1966)
- November 3 - National Culture Day (since 1948)
- November 23 - Labor Thanksgiving Day (since 1948
- December 23 - The Emperor's Birthday (since 1989)
- January 5 - 寒の入り Kannoiri
- January 5 - 小寒 Shōkan
- January 17 - 冬の土用 Fuyu no doyō
- January 20 - 大寒 Daikan
- February 3 - 節分 Setsubun
- February 4 - 立春 Risshun (literally meaning standing spring)
- February 19 - 雨水 Usui
- March 6 - 啓蟄 Keichitsu
- March 16 - 春社日 haru sha nichi
- March 18 - 春彼岸 haru higan
- March 21 - 春分 Shunbun
- April 5 - 清明 Seimei
- April 17 - 春の土用 haru no doyō
- April 20 - 穀雨 Kokuu
- May 2 - 八十八夜 hachijū hachi ya 88 nights
- May 6 - 立夏 Rikka (literally meaning standing summer)
- May 21 - 小満 Shōman
- June 6 - 芒種 Bōshu
- June 11 - 入梅 Nyū bai (literally meaning entering tsuyu)
- June 21 - 夏至 Gesshi
- July 2 - 半夏生 Hange shō
- July 7 - 小暑 Shōsho
- July 15 - 中元 Chūgen;
- July 15 - お盆 Obon
- July 20 - 夏の土用 natsu no doyō
- July 23 - 大暑 Taisho
- August 8 - 立秋 Risshū (literally meaning standing autumn)
- August 23 - 処暑 Shosho
- September 1 - 二百十日 (Ni-hyaku tō ka, 210 days)
- September 8 - 白露 Hakuro
- September 11 - 二百二十日 (Ni-hyaku hatsu ka, 220 days)
- September 20 - 秋彼岸 aki higan
- September 22 - 秋社日 aki sha nichi
- September 23 - 秋分 Shūbun;
- October 8 - 寒露 Kannro
- October 20 - 秋の土用 aki no doyō
- October 23 - 霜降 Sōkō
- November 7 - 立冬 Rittō (literally meaning standing winter)
- November 22 - 小雪 Shōsetsu
- December 7 - 大雪 Taisetsu
- December 22 - 冬至 Tōji;
Some of these names are still used quite frequently in everyday life in Japan. It is common that daily weather reports use 冬至 (Tōji).
This is an Article on Japanese calendar. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Japanese calendar Seasonal festivals
The following are known as the five seasonal festivals (sekku 節句)Rokuyō
The rokuyō (六曜) are a series of six days that predict whether there will be good or bad fortune during that day. The rokuyō are still commonly found on Japanese calendars today, and are often used to plan weddings and funerals. The rokuyō are also known as the rokki (六輝). In order, they are:See also
External links