Every March 3rd. Japan celebrate the "doll festival", most known as the Girls Day. Throughout Japan, families who have girls are displaying their doll collections for some days to celebrate Hina Matsuri. The dolls displaying starts a week or two before the festival, and is done by the mother of the girl. Then the dolls should be closed on the same day of March 3rd, or at the latest the next day. As one legend says, if the dolls are displayed more than 3 days after the festival, the girl can not marry or she will marry later in life. Hanami (花見), more exactly "hana" means "flower" and "mi" comes from the verb "miru" which means "to watch", so literary means "flower viewing " . You go "hanami" anytime during the spring. You can enjoy "hanami" even into your backyard if it happens to you to have cherry trees, or plum trees, or any kind of tree that brings up flowers. I think, in Japan, if you say "hanami" the most japanese people are associating the word to going to see the cherry blossom. But this is not a fact, as they also have "Sakura matsuri" (桜祭り), "sakura" means cherry blossom, while "matsuri" means "festival". "Sakura matsuri" (the festival of cherry blossom) it's held in parks where friends, families, and ordinary people are gathering, bringing with them "bento" (home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine), drinking sake while enjoying the cherry blossom. Living in Japan I was very surprised to see how Japanese people are celebrating Valentine day. I was thinking that in this special day men are giving presents to the one they love, but...here is different. In Japan, is the women who give presents (most chocolate) to the men. Why is that, maybe for Japanese women are too shy to express their fillings, as love. However, I think that in this way the chocolate companies are using this observation for boosting their sells. Imagine just, how much they are selling, just in this week before Valentine Day. Yes, they are selling more than half of their annual sells, wow...Now, to not let just the girls to work so hard on chocolate, these companies came up with the solution... to make the men return gifts to the women, in this way was born the "White day" on March 14th. And the story doesn't finish here, for there is more chocolate to come (lol), "Giri-choko" (obligation chocolate). On Valentine day women are giving chocolate not only to their loved ones (named "Honmei-choko"), but this "Giri-choko" is the chocolate given to men such as bosses, colleagues or male friends. In this case, the woman has no romantic interest in, given to show him the gratitude and her friendship. There is a mutual obligation in Japan, as, if someone does you a favor, then you feel obligated to do something in return for that person. So, for Valentine day, you use chocolate, then for other obligation you choose cookies, or anything you like, and when you give the present you have to say: "Tsumaranai mononan desuga..."(It is a trivial thing...but please receive it)...Funny, isn't it? (lol) Anyhow, don't forget to have a happy Valentine! (lol) |
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7 月 2019
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Author"By believing passionately in that which does not exist, we create it. That which is nonexistent has not been sufficiently desired." |