March 3rd is Girls’ Festival in Japan. The day is not an official holiday, but when I was a child, the day was one of the most interesting days for me. My parents gave me King and Queen dolls that were called Hina dolls. These dolls were displayed for only two or three days, so … Read more
In Japan, there are four seasons in a year, so we can see many kinds of flowers each season. The best one among them would be the season of cherry blossoms. At the beginning of April, cherry blossoms are in full bloom. At this time, the weather reporters inform us of a cherry blossom front … Read more
Hanami” means viewing the cherry blossoms. The cherry blossom is the Japanese national flower, so these trees are planted in many places; for example, in parks, at Shinto shrines, at hospitals, in the streets and at schools. It is a custom in Japan, from the end of March to the beginning of April, when the … Read more
January 15th is Seijin-no-hi. It was established as a national holiday in 1948. On this day, those who have turned 20 are blessed and a coming-of-age ceremony is held. In Japan, on turning 20, one is recognized as an adult. The age of 20 is an important point when one is granted full allowed from … Read more
Hina-Matsuri (Girls’ Day) is held on March 3rd. The parents celebrate their daughters’ growth and good health on this day. They not only celebrate, but also decorate with Hina-dolls, Emperor and Empress dolls. These dolls are displayed on seven tiers of shelves which represent dolls of prince and princes, their 3 female servants, 5 music … Read more
Chifuyu Omma from Japan A place in my memory is a shrine. In Japan, November 15 is Shichi-Go-San (seven, five, three) ceremony. That means girls at seven years, boys at five years, and boys and girls at three years are celebrated at a shrine to show appreciation for good growth and wishes for better growth … Read more
At the beginning of February every year, we celebrate the “Bean Throwing Festival” at temples in Japan. Selected men and women throw beans from the stage at the temple to the crowds wishing to drive the evil spirit away and bring the good luck that year. Those men and women are called “Toshi-otoko” and “Toshi-onna” … Read more
Cannelle and Ewat describe how people celebrate this famous Irish holiday and encourage readers to come and experience it. On the 17th of March every year, Ireland celebrates a special day called Saint Patrick’s Day. Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and brought Christianity to this country. Cannelle and Ewat describe how people … Read more
In Hong Kong there is a holiday called the Chung Yueng Festival. It is celebrated on September 9th of the Lunar calendar. The story of this holiday was about a family. On that day, a family went to a hill to do something. When they came back home, they found all their animals had died. … Read more
The Oktoberfest is very big celebration. It celebrates a time when the King of Bayern (Bavaria) had a big wedding. This wedding lasted eight days and lots of people went to see it. Now it is a big celebration every year in Munchen (Munich), which is a very nice, old city. It has lots of … Read more