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Subway station celebrates Hazuki, the eighth month.]] Since January 1 , 1873 , Japan has used the Gregorian Calendar , with local names for the months and mostly fixed holidays. Before 1873 a Lunisolar Calendar was in use, which was adapted from the Chinese Calendar . YEARS Since the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, three different systems for counting years have or had been used in Japan:
Of these three, the first two are still in current use; the imperial calendar was used until the end of World War II. MONTHS The modern Japanese names for the months literally translate to "first month", "second month", and so on. The corresponding number is combined with the suffix -gatsu (month):
In addition, every month has a traditional name, still used by some in fields such as Poetry ; of the twelve, ''shiwasu'' is still widely used today. The opening paragraph of a letter or the greeting in a speech might borrow one of these names to convey a sense of the season. Some, such as ''yayoi'' and ''satsuki'', do double duty as Given Name s (for women). These month names also appear from time to time on Jidaigeki , which are contemporary Television shows and Movies set in the Edo Period or earlier. The name of month: (pronunciation, literal meaning)
DAYS OF THE MONTH Each day of the month has a semi-systematic but irregularly formed name: In the traditional calendar, the thirtieth was the last day of the month, and its traditional name, 晦日 ''misoka'', survives (although ''sanjunichi'' is far more common, and is the usual term). The last day of the year is 大晦日 '' ōmisoka '' (the ''big thirtieth day''), and that term is still in use. DAYS OF THE WEEK The seven day week, with names for the days corresponding directly to those used in Europe, was brought to Japan around 800 AD. The system was used for astrological purposes and little else until 1876, shortly after Japan officially adopted the Western calendar. Fukuzawa Yukichi was a key figure in the decision to adopt this system as the source for official names for the Days Of The Week . The names come from the five visible planets, which in turn are named after the Five Chinese Elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, water), and from the moon and sun ( Yin And Yang ). NATIONAL HOLIDAYS Notes: Single days between two national holidays are taken as a bank holiday. This applies to May 4, which is a holiday each year. When a national holiday falls on a Sunday the next day that is not a holiday (usually a Monday) is taken as a holiday. † Traditional date of the founding of Japan by Emperor Jimmu , in 660 BC . Veracity of this claim is often questioned.
Timeline of changes to the national holidays
SEASONAL DAYS Some days have special names to mark the change in seasons. The 24 Sekki (二十四節気 ''Nijūshi sekki'') are days that divide a year in the Lunisolar Calendar into twenty four equal sections. Zassetsu (雑節) is a collective term for the seasonal days other than the 24 Sekki. 72 Kō (七十二候 ''Shichijūni kō'') days are made from dividing the 24 Sekki of a year further by three. Some of these names are still used quite frequently in everyday life in Japan. 24 Sekki
Days can vary by ±1 day. See also: Jieqi . Zassetsu Shanichi days can vary as much as ±5 days. Chūgen has a fixed day. All other days can vary by ±1 day. Many zassetsu days occur on multiple seasons:
SEASONAL FESTIVALS The following are known as the five seasonal festivals (節句 ''sekku'', also 五節句 ''go sekku''). The Sekku were made official holidays during Edo Era . # January 7 (1/7) - 人日 (''Jinjitsu''), 七草の節句 ('' Nanakusa No Sekku '') # March 3 (3/3) - 上巳 (''Jōshi'', ''Jōmi''), 桃の節句 ('' Momo No Sekku '') #: 雛祭り ('' Hina Matsuri ''), Girls' Day. # May 5 (5/5) - 端午 (''Tango''), 端午の節句 ('' Tango No Sekku ''), 菖蒲の節句 ('' Ayame No Sekku '') #: Boys' Day. Overlaps with the national holiday Children's Day . # July 7 (7/7) - 七夕 (''Shichiseki'', '' Tanabata ''), 星祭り ('' Hoshi Matsuri '') # September 9 (9/9) - 重陽 (''Chōyō''), 菊の節句 ('' Kiku No Sekku '') Not Sekku: ''ROKUYō'' The ''rokuyō'' (六曜) are a series of six days that predict whether there will be good or bad fortune during that day. The ''rokuyō'' are still commonly found on Japanese calendars and are often used to plan weddings and funerals. The ''rokuyō'' are also known as the ''rokki'' (六輝). In order, they are:
The ''rokuyō'' days are easily calculated from the Japanese Lunar calendar. Lunar January 1st is always ''senshō'', with the days following in the order given above until the end of the month. Thus, January 2nd is ''tomobiki'', January 3rd is ''senbu'', and so on. Lunar February 1st restarts the sequence at ''tomobiki''. Lunar March 1st restarts at ''senbu'', and so on for each month. The last six months repeat the patterns of the first six, so July 1st = ''senshō'' and December 1st is ''shakkō''. APRIL 1 The first day of April has broad significance in Japan. It marks the beginning of the government's fiscal year. Many corporations follow suit. In addition, corporations often form or merge on that date. In recent years, municipalities have preferred it for mergers. On this date, many new employees begin their jobs, and it is the start of many real-estate leases. The school year begins on April 1 . (For more see also Academic Term ) SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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