Why can the Japanese abolish the traditional Spring Festival? What is reflected from it?

The Japanese have many interesting customs during festivals. These customs have been spread in Japan for thousands of years. Japan has been deeply influenced by Chinese culture. These folk customs also have the privacy of our Han culture. The early Japanese Like China, we celebrate two Spring Festivals, the Old Calendar New Year and the New Calendar New Year. Later, it was changed to only celebrate the New Calendar New Year and the Chinese New Year's Day. So why did the Japanese give up celebrating the Spring Festival in the later period? And for them, how do they welcome the new year? 1: From the New Year "Block Order" to today's Yamato-style Spring Festival

1: The abandoned old calendar

Before the Meiji Restoration, Japan, like China, was all about the past. Lunar New Year, but after the Meiji Restoration, due to various reasons, Japan changed the old calendar to the Western calendar. In fact, there is no real Spring Festival in Japan.

Perhaps to put it another way, the Spring Festival they understand is different from the Spring Festival we understand. The Spring Festival they celebrate is the first lunar month. In essence, it is the same as the first month in our country, but because Japan abolished the old calendar in the popular period, what we call the lunar calendar, the direct name of the first month is called the Spring Festival.

As we all know, Japan is a country that advocates the strong. Historically, Japan was also a relatively well-known country, but it was later taught a lesson by China's Tang Dynasty. From then on, it began to learn from China and imitate China. Many festivals are the same as China's Daqing, so in ancient Japan, the Spring Festival was celebrated. Like China, we use the lunar calendar.

Japan did not celebrate the Spring Festival until after the Meiji Restoration. At that time, Japan was controlled by the Americans and they were forced to open up. From that time on, Japan began to fully accept Western culture. After learning Western culture, the Chinese lunar calendar was abolished and Japan called it the old calendar.

In some remote areas today, such customs and habits still exist, and it will be reported as domestic news on that day, but it is no longer a statutory holiday. The lunar calendar still exists, and the vernal equinox and the autumnal equinox are still legal holidays in Japan.

Originally, the first month of the lunar calendar was celebrated in Japan. It also ushered in new changes starting from the Meiji Restoration. The Meiji Restoration in 1872 was for the purpose of Westernization, so the rule at that time The emperor chose to adopt the Western calendar, and ordered a ban on resting on the festivals of the lunar calendar. Instead, New Year's Day of the Western calendar was the famous festival.

In order to quickly transform the national concept of time into the Westernized time at that time, it was stipulated to celebrate the beginning of the year according to the Western calendar. It only took a few decades for the Western calendar to take root on New Year's Day, and then the government of the people continued to use the Western calendar.

Compared to other cultural circles with Chinese characters, Japan broke away from the agricultural economy and society earlier. In the process of modernization, the concept of the lunar calendar has almost disappeared. So after that, Japan's Spring Festival was no longer the same as our country's Spring Festival, but was changed to New Year's Day, which is January 1 of the new calendar, in sync with Western countries.

2: Unable to advance the 13th month’s salary

For the Japanese at that time, Emperor Meiji suddenly issued an edict to abolish the Western Gregorian calendar and legislated to fully adopt the Western Gregorian calendar. The promulgation was very sudden and unacceptable to people. So why did the Japanese government suddenly abolish the old calendar? In addition to the cultural invasion of the West, there are other reasons.

The traditional calendar is a combination of yin and yang, which means that China’s lunar and yang calendar is the only one in the world that simultaneously refers to the movement of the sun and the moon. Because in this calendar that combines yin and yang, there will be leap months.

In other words, there will be a 13th month in a year. If the Western solar calendar is used, this problem will not occur. This was an answer given by Japanese officials at the time, but on a deeper level, we have to look at it from a national economic perspective.

If there are 13 months in a year, wouldn’t office workers get one more month’s salary?

But from the government's point of view, the government needed to pay 13 months' salary to the staff at that time. At that time, it was the early stage of the Meiji Restoration, and the government paid a large amount of economic expenses for infrastructure construction. There was no extra financial resources to pay salaries, so they took advantage of the invasion of Western culture to get rid of the old Chinese calendar.

But no matter what, the Japanese nowadays usually call New Year’s Eve as New Year’s Eve or Great Dark Day. During these days, they not only retain the traditional Chinese folk customs, but also add their local characteristics and humanities. style. However, the Chinese New Year in Japan is not too grand. The most solemn thing is the Western holiday Christmas. This may also be influenced by Western legislation at that time.

Even so, Japan has been continuously learning Chinese traditional culture in ancient times, so Japan’s New Year customs still retain a lot of Chinese traditions. So what is the Japanese New Year like? Let me introduce it to you below.

At the end of the year, large companies and other large units, as well as small groups of friends such as some associations, will choose to hold New Year's Eve parties during this period. Therefore, during this period, among restaurants that can host banquets, December can be said to be the busiest time of the year.

As the name suggests, the Year-Ending Party means forgetting all the fatigue and hardships of the old year. The banquet held is similar to our Chinese annual party. However, the difference is that the Chinese annual party focuses on feelings and performances. In Japan, the most important thing about the New Year party is drinking. Everyone turns the unhappiness and fatigue of the old year into cups of wine, and looks forward to it while drinking. Good luck in the coming year.

It is normal for Japanese people to get drunk during year-end parties. If this is the first time you attend a year-end party with Japanese colleagues, you will be quite shocked that your usually polite colleagues will be drunk after drinking. Another look.

Except for this New Year’s party, there may not be much of a strong New Year flavor. So in addition to ending the dust of the year through the New Year Party, what other ways do the Japanese use to reflect the flavor of the new year? 2: New Year’s customs are full of Yamato ethnic characteristics

1: At the beginning of the new year, every activity means good luck

Celebrating the New Year in Japan is basically in this form Come and do: the night before the countdown (eating soba noodles, watching the Red and White Song Concert, and the Prince Fox Parade) → Countdown → Watch the New Year’s sunrise → New Year’s Eve → Grab a lucky bag.

But before these programs start, just like our Chinese New Year, every household will clean the house together. The Japanese do this to welcome the harvest god. Japan is a country that believes in Taoism. In our country, the Nian God is the son of God in Japanese Shintoism, also known as the Nian God, who can bring a year's harvest and happiness to Japan and the United States. After completing these preparations, a series of ceremonies began.

December 31st is the last day of the year, and it is also New Year’s Eve in Japan. The Japanese call it Taihei Day. Why is it called this name? In Japanese, it means leaving all bad luck to this day and not bringing it into the new year. What you must do when the whole family gets together on New Year's Eve is, of course, a bowl of hot New Year's Eve soba noodles. Approximately equal to our domestic dumplings.

The noodles of soba noodles are thin and long, which represents the continuous meaning of longevity and good things. People also use this to pray that, like soba noodles, they will have long-lasting good luck in the coming year. In addition, because soba noodles are very chewy, they also have the meaning of preventing disasters. And this bowl of noodles must be eaten before December 31st, because only in this way can we avoid all disasters in the year.

2: 108 bells ring on New Year’s Eve

Many people will choose to ring the bells in a temple near their homes in the evening. According to local custom, this is a A way to pray for blessings and relieve worries in the New Year.

In fact, there are three places in Tokyo that locals often visit during New Year’s Eve, namely the famous Sensoji Temple, Meiji Shrine and Sojoji Temple.

The famous Sensoji Temple has an endless stream of tourists even in normal times. During the Japanese New Year, it becomes the place where Tokyo locals gather the most worship rituals.

On the first day of January every year. More than 20 million people can come here to pray for New Year blessings and see the world in Sensoji Temple. Entering from the Kaminarimon Gate is a slow process. The worshipers ask for lots in front of the main hall. If the lot is unlucky, they can hang it on the tree of the shrine. Praying to the gods can remove bad luck. If it is a lucky draw, people will take selfies and post them online, just like how we now post blessings on WeChat Moments.

3: Grab lucky bags and eat delicious food to enhance your luck

Just visiting the shrine is not enough to successfully complete the year. Every New Year’s Day, many Japanese brands will launch various products. A variety of lucky bags, this new type of lucky bag with surprises, has become the most lively event on January 1st every year.

The reason why it is called a lucky bag is because the items inside are all products selected by the merchants. Customers have no way of knowing what is inside, so every time you grab a lucky bag, you will feel like you are drawing a lottery. There is a full sense of ceremony inside.

Usually Japanese people will choose to eat two kinds of delicacies after grabbing the lucky bags. One is Osechi, and the other is called Zazoi. Both are traditional Japanese dishes. Each dish symbolizes blessings such as longevity and good health. Eating it can enhance your luck. Three: While incorporating Chinese characteristics, it also incorporates local development

In addition to the above, Japan may be the only country in Asia that uses the Western calendar to define the New Year. But in any case, although time was controlled by the West, before the Tang Dynasty in China, Japanese culture had infiltrated many traditional Chinese customs, and some of them completely copied Chinese New Year customs, such as pasting Spring Festival couplets, cleaning , giving out lucky money and so on.

Although Japanese families rarely post Spring Festival couplets these days, many shops still post them to pray for a good business and good luck in the coming year. Of course, the Spring Festival couplets are written in Japanese-style Chinese characters with the same pronunciation. The meaning is also the same as what we understand as Spring Festival couplets. In addition, there are some folk customs with ethnic characteristics that have not been introduced, such as hanging door pine trees, writing New Year greetings, etc., all of which are full of local ethnic characteristics.

However, nowadays Japanese people hardly follow the traditional customs to complete the New Year celebrations. They just symbolically celebrate the New Year. After all, they have to adapt to the development of the times. Nowadays, many Japanese people People will choose to spend the entire Spring Festival with their families, etc. Conclusion:

Whether it is Japan or other countries, what people look forward to during the year is to reunite with their families, have a lively reunion dinner, and pray for everything to go well in the coming year.

Year after year passes, we always talk about the current Chinese New Year, which no longer has the original taste, but we will still look forward to the arrival of the new year as always every year. No matter in every corner of the world or in any form, reunion is only our ultimate goal and wish.

Talking back to the Spring Festival in Japan, we can more or less understand the Japanese customs that are full of Yamato ethnic characteristics, and the Japanese customs that are full of Dahe ethnic characteristics. Everyone can see the shadow of their own country in it, and these elements can find their origins in Chinese culture.

So if you want to understand more about Japanese traditional culture, you must go back to ancient China and find the roots of those cultures from ancient China. If the economy allows and time is given, we can also go to Japan to experience how they celebrate the New Year.