#WHO CELEBRATES LUNAR NEW YEAR 2022 TV#

However, the festival’s origins can be traced back to the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BCE) and the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BCE). Its exact origins are rooted in myth and legend, making it difficult to pinpoint an exact starting point. The Lunar New Year originated in ancient China. ・ While New Year’s Day in the Gregorian calendar is fixed as “January 1 every year,” Lunar New Year’s Day falls on “the day when the new moon falls between about mid-January and mid-February,” so the date differs every year. It is a holiday not only in China, but also in Singapore, Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, and other countries. ・ The Lunar New Year is the first day of the lunar calendar, which falls on January 1. Additionally, with increased globalization and cultural exchange, the Lunar New Year has gained broader recognition and popularity among the general Japanese population. Chinese communities in Japan, such as those in Yokohama and Kobe, have preserved their cultural heritage and continue to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Over time, the Lunar New Year has maintained a presence in Japanese society. It is also celebrated in China Towns in Japan such as the one in Yokohama. However, after World War II, it was consolidated into the Gregorian calendar and as of now, except in Okinawa Prefecture and the Amami Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture, there are only a few shrines, temples, and local events related to the Lunar New Year. In those days, Westernization was the same as modernization.Īfter the Meiji period, when the Gregorian calendar was adopted, the old Lunar New Year was still celebrated in some places in Japan. At that time, Japan was trying to Westernize itself by abolishing its customs and traditions. One of the reasons why the old new year was abandoned in favor of the new calendar in Japan is that Japan was actively embracing Western culture during the Meiji Restoration. Why Japan does not celebrate Lunar New Year So, many people in Japan really do not know what Chinese New Year is.

#WHO CELEBRATES LUNAR NEW YEAR 2022 TV#

Most Japanese people are unaware of the Lunar New Year and only hear about it mostly as Chinese New Year on the TV news. In modern Japan, the Gregorian New Year is celebrated, so the Lunar New Year is not a part of most Japanese people’s lives.

After the switch to the new calendar, the custom of the Lunar New Year gradually fell into disuse in Japan. However, during the Meiji Restoration (in 1872, to be exact), the government issued a proclamation to switch the calendar to the new calendar, which divided the year into 365 days, January through December. In Japan, the lunar calendar was in use until before the Meiji Restoration (1868 -1889) and New Year’s Day was celebrated during the Lunar New Year. Japan is one of the countries in the Asian region that does not have the custom of celebrating the Lunar New Year. ・ The solar calendar, in which one year is defined as the period of one revolution of the earth around the sun. ・ The lunar calendar, in which dates are counted by the phases of the moon. There are mainly two types of calendars in the world. Japanese New Year is synonymous with the Gregorian New Year in Japan. Gregorian New Year is celebrated in most areas in Japanĭoes Japan celebrate Lunar New Year? In Japan, except for some areas in Okinawa/Amami and Chinatown, the Gregorian New Year is now celebrated. This difference leads to an interesting question for those who are interested in Japanese culture – does Japan celebrate the Lunar New Year? This article aims to delve into this topic, exploring the history of calendars in Japan, how the New Year is celebrated currently, and why the Lunar New Year does not hold as significant a place in Japanese culture as it does in some other Asian countries. While many of us are familiar with the Gregorian New Year’s festivities on January 1st, many eastern countries, notably China, Vietnam, and South Korea, celebrate the New Year based on the lunar calendar, often referred to as Lunar New Year. Among these, the New Year celebrations from different parts of the world draw a significant amount of curiosity and interest. As global citizens, we have all come across various cultural customs and practices that might differ from our own.

Who celebrates lunar new year 2022