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Do you hope to have a merry Christmas in Japan? Or do you might have Japanese mates that you just’d wish to want joyful holidays to? On this article, I’ll educate you all about Japanese phrases, phrases, tradition, and customs across the winter holidays, together with Christmas and New Yr’s. Now buckle up in your Santa sleigh–a couple of factor about Christmas in Japan would possibly shock you on this article!
Christmas in Japan
First off, you could be questioning if Japan even celebrates Christmas. Japan’s title for Christmas is クリスマス (Kurisumasu), and it comes from the English phrase. It’s because Christmas shouldn’t be a historically celebrated vacation in Japan.
With an estimated lower than one per cent of the inhabitants being Christian, you could assume that Christmas shouldn’t be a well-liked vacation in Japan. However really, it’s a main vacation–though it differs enormously from what number of different nations rejoice it.
Aside from the small inhabitants of Christians, Christmas in Japan is a purely secular and principally industrial vacation. It’s celebrated on December 24, Christmas Eve. (That is クリスマスイブ Kurisumasu Ibu in Japanese.) It was solely popularized as a significant celebration within the Seventies. How, you could ask? The reply: a particularly profitable KFC advertising marketing campaign. Extra on that later!
The right way to Want a “Merry Christmas” in Japanese
First, I’ll offer you a couple of phrases to make use of.
The preferred method to say “Merry Christmas” in Japanese is easy. In Japanese characters, Merry Christmas is メリークリスマス (merii Kurisumasu)! That is the most typical greeting. It may be used with anybody, no matter whether or not they’re at a better or decrease rank than you, or if they’re Christian or not.
You might also already be acquainted with the phrase おめでとうございます (omedetou gozaimasu). This phrase means “congratulations,” and it’s utilized in most different celebratory greetings, similar to お誕生日おめでとうございます (otanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu) for “Pleased birthday,” and 明けましておめでとうございます (akemashite omedetou gozaimasu) for “Pleased New Yr.” (We’ll go extra in-depth about this final one later.)
So can we use use おめでとうございます (omedetou gozaimasu) to want a merry or joyful Christmas in Japanese? It’s technically doable. This is able to make it クリスマスおめでとうございます (Kurisumasu omedetou gozaimasu). Nonetheless, that is principally used with people who find themselves Christian and celebrating Christmas as a spiritual vacation. In different phrases, since most Japanese individuals don’t have a spiritual connection to it, they’re not significantly celebrating something at Christmas. So this phrase shouldn’t be quite common.
By the way in which, at Japanese church providers, you may additionally hear the greeting 主の御降誕おめでとうございます (Nushi no gokoutan omedetou gozaimasu). This can be a rather more stiff and formal phrase celebrating the “start of our Lord.”
However as I stated, you’re more likely to listen to the English-inspired Merii Kurisumasu usually.
Merry Christmas in Japanese – Phrase Record
Right here’s a recap of the alternative ways to say “Merry Christmas” in Japanese:
- メリークリスマス (merii Kurisumasu) – “Merry Christmas”
- おめでとうございます (omedetou gozaimasu) – “Congratulations!”
- クリスマスおめでとうございます (Kurisumasu omedetou gozaimasu) – “Pleased Christmas” (solely to these celebrating Christmas as a spiritual vacation)
- 主の御降誕おめでとうございます (Nushi no gokoutan omedetou gozaimasu) – “ Congratulations on the start of our Lord”
The right way to Have a good time Christmas with Meals in Japan
In order I discussed, Christmas in Japan turned widespread from a KFC advertising marketing campaign within the Seventies. Legend has it {that a} very devoted KFC supervisor overheard a foreigner expressing nostalgia for a way they celebrated Christmas again house with turkey. Turkey is tough to seek out in Japan, however hen is quite common. So KFC went with the substitute and satisfied the inhabitants that the appropriate method to rejoice Christmas is by consuming a bucket of KFC!
Despite the fact that the nationality of the foreigner overheard is unknown, KFC marketed consuming fried hen for Christmas as an American custom, and this perception has caught. (However as an American, I’ve my doubts that the foreigner in query would have been from the identical nation as me. Since turkey is a November Thanksgiving staple, many individuals are uninterested in turkey by the point Christmas rolls round. Who is aware of!) In any case, think about the shock after I inform Japanese folks that we don’t eat KFC for Christmas!
Through the years, different fried hen eateries joined the marketing campaign. These days, in every single place, together with comfort shops, promote their Christmas fried hen offers towards the top of the 12 months. However KFC reigns supreme. It’s so widespread that you could be must make your order and reserve your pick-up time slot a number of weeks prematurely!
(Enjoyable reality: Colonel Sanders is usually dressed up in a Santa go well with in Japan for advertising. With the white hair, I agree that they do look a bit related!)
By the way in which, KFC is mostly referred to as “Kentucky” in Japan. In Japanese, that is ケンタッキー (Kentakkii).
One other widespread meals eaten at the moment in Japan is a “Christmas cake,” or クリスマスケーキ (kurisumasu keeki). That is normally fairly just like strawberry shortcake, and is a straightforward white sponge cake with strawberries and whipped cream on prime. Ever discover the cake emoji (🎂) in your telephone? That’s the enduring Japanese Christmas cake!
Christmas muffins may be particularly widespread round Christmas due to the white and pink coloring. Though Japan typically values consuming vegetables and fruit in-season, there’s an enormous demand for strawberries within the winter due to Christmas muffins! That’s in all probability one of many the reason why many strawberries are grown in greenhouses in Japan.
Really, many KFC Christmas offers embody a Christmas cake with the bucket of hen, and perhaps even a bottle of champagne!
The right way to Have a good time Christmas with a Date in Japan
Now, I alluded that Christmas is a romantic vacation in Japan. Really, it’s like Valentine’s Day in lots of Western nations!
However wait, doesn’t Japan additionally rejoice Valentine’s Day? Sure, however it’s a bit completely different from Valentine’s Day in lots of Western nations. In Japan, ladies are anticipated to present candies and specific their like to males. In return, males do the identical for ladies on March 14, in any other case referred to as White Day.
So expectations are positioned on one gender on Valentine’s Day and White Day, however for Christmas, they’re each on reasonably equal taking part in fields. For this reason Japanese Christmas is just like Valentine’s Day within the West. {Couples} go on a date デート (deeto) on Christmas Eve!
Round this time, there are a lot of winter illuminations (冬のイルミネーション / fuyu no irumineeshon) across the nation. Well-known ones embody Nabana no Sato (なばなの里) in Mie Prefecture, and Kobe Illuminarie (神戸イルミナリエ) in Hyogo Prefecture, and the Ashikaga Flower Park (あしかがフラワーパーク) in Tochigi Prefecture. These are extremely widespread date spots! Many {couples} even have a pleasant dinner in a elaborate restaurant.
You may be questioning if Japan has a conventional vacation greeting. Sure, it does! Whereas Christmas is usually a very powerful winter vacation in lots of different nations, New Yr’s is a very powerful winter vacation in Japan.
Not like Korea or China, Japan follows the New Yr in keeping with the photo voltaic calendar–not the Lunar New Yr (also called the Chinese language New Yr). It has finished so because the late nineteenth century! Which means they formally and culturally rejoice the brand new 12 months concurrently nearly all of different nations, on the final day of December and the primary day of January.
Pleased New Yr in Japanese
The phrase for New Yr’s Eve in Japanese is 大晦日 (Oomisoka). The phrase for New Yr’s Day is お正月 (Oshougatsu). The phrase for New Yr’s normally or simply the “new 12 months” is 新年 (shinnen).
And if you wish to want somebody “Pleased New Yr,” you may say 明けましておめでとうございます (akemashite omedetou gozaimasu). Use this phrase to somebody you present respect to, like an elder or your boss. If you’re talking casually, you drop the gozaimasu and simply say 明けましておめでとう (akemashite omedetou). If you wish to be actually casual, you may contract it to アケオメ (akeome)!
The primary verb on this phrase, 明ける (akeru) and conjugated as 明けまして (akemashite), is a homonym with the phrase “to open,” or 開ける (akeru). However don’t get them confused! Right here with this particular kanji, it means “to daybreak.” So you might be congratulating somebody on the dawning of a brand new 12 months!
Additionally, normally, you say this phrase on New Yr’s Day. However in case you greet somebody for the primary time within the 12 months and it’s comparatively near New Yr’s Day, you may nonetheless say it!
If somebody tells you this phrase, you may reply with the identical, after which add 今年もよろしくお願いします (kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegaishimasu) if you’re talking formally. If casually, you may say 今年もよろしく (kotoshi mo yoroshiku). This doesn’t have direct translation into English, however it means one thing like, “I look ahead to persevering with our good relationship this 12 months.”
Pleased New Yr in Japanese – Phrase Record
Right here’s a recap of the alternative ways to say “Pleased New Yr” in Japanese:
- 明けましておめでとうございます (akemashite omedetou gozaimasu) – “Pleased New Yr” (formal)
- 明けましておめでとう (akemashite omedetou) – “Pleased New Yr” (casual)
- アケオメ (akeome)! – “Pleased New Yr” (informal)
- 今年もよろしくお願いします (kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegaishimasu) – “I look ahead to persevering with our good relationship this 12 months” (formal)
- 今年もよろしく (kotoshi mo yoroshiku) – “I look ahead to persevering with our good relationship this 12 months” (casual)
The right way to Have a good time New Yr’s in Japan
Whereas Christmas is a industrial vacation in Japan, New Yr’s is a family-oriented vacation. It’s mainly the reverse of the West, the place Christmas is the family-oriented vacation, and New Yr’s is a time to occasion!
Additionally, whereas Westerners would possibly interact in “spring cleansing,” Japanese individuals do their main yearly cleansing (known as 大掃除 / ososouji) round this time in preparation for the brand new 12 months.
In fact, no Japanese celebration can be full with out particular meals. Many Japanese individuals eat 年越しそば (toshikoshi soba), which accurately means “go the 12 months soba.” (Soba is a kind of buckwheat noodle.) The lengthy noodles characterize a protracted life!
Different vital New Yr’s meals お節料理 (o-sechi ryouri). This can be a feast of a number of small dishes in an elaborate lacquered bento-like field, known as a 重箱 (juubako). This custom dates again to the Heian Interval (794–1185), so it’s been round for some time! The primary elements of osechi ryouri usually differ by area, so that you would possibly style considerably completely different substances in case you journey to completely different components of Japan over New Yr’s!
Mochi, or pounded rice muffins, are generally made and eaten round this time too. (Typically, they’ll be pounded by sumo wrestlers!) Though take care whenever you eat contemporary mochi, since a couple of individuals (normally aged) die yearly choking on it. You’ll have additionally seen 鏡餅 (kagami mochi), which is 2 mochi topped with a tangerine leaf. That is purely decorational although–don’t attempt to eat it!
Lastly, many households collect across the TV through the leadup to the New Yr’s countdown. They watch Kohaku (紅白), a well-liked singing present the place the nation’s most well-known singers compete towards one another. There are two groups: Staff Crimson and Staff White!
In any other case, Japanese individuals would possibly spend their New Yr’s Eve at a Shinto shrine or Buddhist temple. At midnight, Buddhist temples ring their bells a complete of 108 occasions. This event known as 除夜の鐘 (joya no kane) and symbolizes eliminating the 108 earthly temptations in keeping with Buddhism. The primary shrine go to of the brand new 12 months can also be essential in Japanese tradition. That is known as 初詣 (hatumoude) or 初参り (hatsumairi).
Many Japanese workplaces shut down for New Yr’s. So if you wish to want a colleague, “Have a contented New Yr’s” earlier than the break you may inform them 良いお年をお越しください (Yoi o-toshi wo okoshi kudasai). You may also hear different variants, similar to 良いお年をお迎えください (Yoi o-toshi wo omukae kudasai). These are fairly formal set phrases utilizing keigo, or honorific language.
If you happen to’d wish to be a bit much less formal, you may shorten this to 良いお年を (Yoi o-toshi wo)! This nonetheless makes use of some keigo, however it’s a bit much less stiff. You should utilize this latter phrase fairly flexibly. No matter you’d wish to want somebody to have one among, you may substitute otoshi with that phrase. So, to say, “Have Christmas!” you may say, 良いクリスマスを (Yoi Kurisumasu wo).
To say, “Have a contented Hanukkah,” you may say, 良いハヌカー (Yoi Hanukaa wo)!
To say, “Have winter break,” you may say, 良い冬休みを (Yoi fuyuyasumi wo)!
You’ll normally say these phrases as a parting greeting. Normally it’s the final time you see that individual till the vacation is over.
Greeting playing cards (グリーティングカード / guriitingu kaado) are additionally widespread to ship round this time. In truth, mid-December and early January are the busiest occasions of the 12 months for submit places of work in Japan! You could guess that Japanese individuals normally ship New Yr’s playing cards, reasonably than Christmas playing cards, although.
Greeting playing cards particularly for New Yr’s are known as 年賀状 (nengajou). They usually embody phrases similar to ご健康とご多幸をお祈りいたします (go-kenkou to go-takou wo oinori itashimasu). This interprets actually into one thing alongside the traces of “I’m praying on your well being and happiness.”
You might also see the phrases 謹賀新年 (kinga shinnen) or 賀正 (gashou) in greeting playing cards or on indicators. These additionally imply “Pleased New Yr.” However they’re written phrases, so that you typically wouldn’t say them.
Different phrases you would possibly see written in playing cards or on indicators embody 初春 (pronounced both shoshun or hatsuharu, that means “early spring”) and 迎春 (geishun, “welcome spring”). These are a nod to the lunar calendar, which Japan used to comply with.
The winter vacation season is an excellent time to be in Japan and expertise Japanese tradition. Greatest but, as you’ve discovered, you may expertise a mixture of each fashionable and conventional celebrations in a single brief timeframe!
So if you wish to rejoice the winter holidays like a real Japanese individual, seize your bucket of KFC and your Christmas cake, and go have a beautiful date at a superbly lit illumination. After that, be a part of your family members for some mochi, some soba, and go go to some shrines and temples!
Nonetheless you want to rejoice, I hope you might have a merii Kurisumasu, and akemashite omedetou gozaimasu!
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