Enka

Date
Event Name
Description

01/01
New Year's Day
A Japanese holiday celebrating the New Year. Enjoy hatsumode (first shrine visit) and osechi ryori (traditional New Year's food).

01/07
Jinjitsu (Festival of Seven Herbs)
Eat nanakusa-gayu (seven-herb rice porridge) and wish for a year of good health.

02/03
Setsubun
Drive away demons and invite good fortune by scattering beans.

02/04
Risshun (Start of Spring)
The day when spring officially begins according to the traditional calendar.

03/03
Hinamatsuri (Peach Festival)
A day to display Hina dolls and wish for the healthy growth of girls.

03/20
Vernal Equinox Day
The day when day and night are of equal length. A time for visiting graves.

04/08
Hanamatsuri (Flower Festival)
A Buddhist event celebrating the birthday of Buddha.

05/05
Tango no Sekku (Children's Day)
Wish for the healthy growth of boys by displaying koinobori (carp streamers).

07/07
Tanabata (Star Festival)
The legend of Orihime and Hikoboshi. Write wishes on tanzaku strips.

08/13〜16
Obon
A Buddhist event to welcome and honor ancestral spirits.

09/20
Ohigan Start (Autumn Ohigan)
The beginning of the autumn equinox period. A time for visiting graves.

09/23
Autumnal Equinox Day
The day when day and night are of equal length. Respect for ancestors.

10/31
Halloween
A Western festival for enjoying costumes. Also popular in Japan.

11/15
Shichi-Go-San
Celebrating the growth of children aged 3, 5, and 7.

11/23
Niinamesai
A festival to thank the gods for the harvest of new grains.

12/21
Winter Solstice
The day with the longest night of the year. Enjoy a yuzu bath.

12/24
Christmas Eve
The night before Christmas. In Japan, it's a day spent with a lover.

12/25
Christmas
The celebration of Christ's birth. Enjoy cake and presents.

12/31
New Year's Eve
The last day of the year. Listen to the Jōya no Kane (temple bells) and eat toshikoshi soba (year-crossing noodles).