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Japanese calendar
Koinobori, flags decorated like koi, are popular decorations around Children's Day
YearsSince the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, three different systems for counting years have been used in Japan:
Of these three, the first two are still in current use; Japan-Guide.com provides a convenient converter between the two. The imperial calendar was used from 1873 to the end of World War II. MonthsThe 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):
(Note that using Arabic numberals, as 3?, is extremely common in everyday communication, almost the norm.) 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 names (for women). These month names also appear from time to time on jidaigeki, contemporary television shows and movies set in the Edo period or earlier. The name of month: (pronunciation, literal meaning) (Note: the old Japanese calendar was an adjusted lunar calendar based on the Chinese calendar, and the year - and with it the months - started anywhere from about 3 to 7 weeks later than the modern year, so it is not really appropriate to equate the first month with January.)
Subdivisions of the monthJapan uses a seven-day week, aligned with the Western calendar. The seven day week, with names for the days corresponding directly to those used in Europe, was brought to Japan around AD 800. 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).
Japan also divides the month roughly into three 10-day periods. Each is called a jun (?). The first is j?jun (??); the second, ch?jun (??); the last, gejun (??). These are frequently used to indicate approximate times, for example, "the temperatures are typical of the j?jun of April"; "a vote on a bill is expected during the gejun of this month." Days of the monthEach day of the month has a semi-systematic but irregularly formed name:
(Note that using Arabic numberals, as 14?, is extremely common in everyday communication, almost the norm.) Tsuitachi is a worn-down form of tsukitachi, which means the first of the month. In the traditional calendar, the last day of the month was called ?? misoka. Nowadays, the terms for the numbers 28-31 plus nichi are much more common. However, misoka is much used in contracts, etc., specifying that a payment should be made on or by the last day of the month, whatever the number is. The last day of the year is ??? ?misoka (the big last day), and that term is still in use. National holidaysNotes: 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 on which according to legend Emperor Jimmu founded Japan in 660 BC. * Part of Golden Week Timeline of changes to the national holidays
Seasonal daysSome days have special names to mark the change in seasons. The 24 Sekki (????? Nij?shi sekki) are days that divide a year in the Lunisolar calendar into twenty four equal sections. Zassetsu (??) is a collective term for the seasonal days other than the 24 Sekki. 72 K? (???? Shichij?ni k?) days are made from dividing the 24 Sekki of a year further by three. Some of these names, such as Shunbun, Rissh? and T?ji, 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. Ch?gen has a fixed day. All other days can vary by ±1 day. Many zassetsu days occur on multiple seasons:
Seasonal festivalsThe following are known as the five seasonal festivals (?? sekku, also ??? go sekku). The Sekku were made official holidays during Edo era.
Not Sekku: Rokuy?The rokuy? (??) are a series of six days that supposedly predict whether there will be good or bad fortune during that day. The rokuy? are still commonly found on Japanese calendars and are often used to plan weddings and funerals, though most people ignore them in ordinary life. The rokuy? are also known as the rokki (??). In order, they are:
The rokuy? days are easily calculated from the Japanese Lunisolar calendar. Lunisolar January 1 is always sensh?, with the days following in the order given above until the end of the month. Thus, January 2 is tomobiki, January 3 is senbu, and so on. Lunisolar February 1st restarts the sequence at tomobiki. Lunisolar March 1st restarts at senbu, and so on for each month. The last six months repeat the patterns of the first six, so July 1 = sensh?, December 1st is shakk? and the moon-viewing day of "August 15th" is always a "butsumetsu." This system did not become popular in Japan until the end of the Edo period. April 1The first day of April has broad significance in Japan. It marks the beginning of the government's fiscal year.[2] 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 alsoReferencesExternal links
fr:Dates en japonais id:Kalender Jepang it:Calendario giapponese ka:???????? ????????? ms:Kalendar Jepun ja:?????? pl:Kalendarz japo?ski sl:Japonski koledar th:????????????? zh:??? Source: Wikipedia | The above article is available under the GNU FDL. | Edit this article
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