The Emperor’s Birthday 🎉
Hello Mito Amity students and family! (✧ω✧)
I hope everyone enjoyed learning about the history of Valentine’s Day last week. This week, we have a Japanese national holiday coming up on Sunday February 23rd: The Emperor`s Birthday (天皇誕生). The birthday of the current emperor is always a national holiday. If the emperor changes, the national holiday changes to the birthday date of the new emperor. Even though this unique holiday only became official in 1948, the tradition of celebrating the Emperor’s birthday dates back to the 8th century. This means that this custom has been around for over 1,200 years! In the past, this holiday was known as 天長節 (てんちょうせつ). You can still use this term today, but it is less common.
Although there is no work or school on this day, most people do not do anything special. It is just a regular public holiday. There is one major event! There is a general public greeting at the Imperial Palace. At this event, the Emperor makes a public appearance and gives a speech. This offers people the rare chance of seeing the Emperor in person.
How will you spend this holiday? Let us know in your next Amity lesson!
Sincerely,
Your English Teachers at Mito Amity (╯✧▽✧)╯
Happy Valentine’s Day 💌
Hello Mito Amity students and family! ٩(♡ε♡)۶
Today is Valentine’s Day, a loving holiday with lots of history. Valentine’s Day is named after Saint Valentine, a Roman Catholic priest who helped couples secretly get married.
Emperor Claudius II of Rome—who reigned from the years 268 C.E to 270 C.E.— banned marriage because he thought unmarried men made better soldiers. Saint Valentine thought this was unfair and decided to break the rules and perform marriages anyway. He kept the ceremonies quiet, but he was eventually caught. He was later killed on February 14 of the year 270 for defying the emperor. Right before he died, Valentine supposedly wrote the first-ever “valentine” to his jailer’s daughter, with whom he had fallen in love with. Later, in the 5th century, Pope Gelasius I declared the day of his death as St. Valentine’s Day. The Catholic Church doesn’t recognize St. Valentine’s Day on its calendar anymore, but people throughout the world still celebrate this day.
There were actually celebrations surrounding this day even before Saint Valentine! There was a pagan festival held in Rome every February that focused on bringing new couples together. Boys would draw the names of girls from a container, and the pairs would stay together for the entire festival. Some would actually get married once the event was over! After Pope Gelasius I created St. Valentine’s Day, the festival turned into a Catholic celebration that focused on the saint.
Valentine’s Day traditions have evolved a lot over the years. For example, in the Middle Ages—which lasted from the 5th to 15th centuries in Europe—people exchanged handmade cards with love notes inside. Today, billions of dollars are spent on Valentine’s Day cards and gifts each year around the world.
How is Valentine’s Day celebrated in Japan? Let us know in your next Amity lesson!
Sincerely,
Your English Teachers at Mito Amity (˘˘ ♡)
National Foundation Day 🎌
Hello Mito Amity students and family! o´ω`o)ﾉ
This coming Tuesday on February 11 is Japan`s National Foundation Day / Kenkoku Kinen no Hi (建国記念の日)! This is a national holiday for Japanese people to remember the founding of their nation. The day when Emperor Jinmu was made into the first Japanese emperor in 660 BBE was turned into this national holiday since his crowning was seen as the start of Japan as a united nation. Although many believe this to be historical fact, historians view it as folklore.
Before World War II, government offices and schools throughout Japan held all sorts of celebrations for this holiday, but this stopped after the war for various reasons such as the fear of it encouraging dangerous ideas by conservatives. Many people lamented its passing, so in 1967, the day was made a national holiday again as National Foundation Day!
On February 11, there will be no Amity classes. How will you be celebrating this national holiday? Let us know in your next Amity lesson!
Sincerely,
Your English Teachers at Mito Amity ( ￣ー￣)φ__
The Beginning of Spring: Setsubun👹🫘
Hello Mito Amity students and family! (⌒▽⌒)☆
Today, we will be talking about a celebration occurring this coming Sunday, February 2nd: Setsubun!
This is a Japanese holiday that marks the start of spring according to the Japanese lunar calendar; it is the last day of winter. The date of Setsubun differs each year but usually ends up being on February 2nd, 3rd, or 4th. Setsubun literally translates to "seasonal division" in English.
Japan has four distinct seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The term Setsubun originally referred to the days marking the change from one season to the next, so that there were four of them for each season. However, only the day before Risshun (the beginning of spring in the traditional Japanese calendar) is still called by that name.
There are many cultural customs that Japanese people follow to celebrate Setsubun. This differs from region to region in Japan, but there are many similarities. Many of these customs are based around warding off demons and other evil for the coming of spring as well as attracting prosperity and fortune into one`s life.
For example, in the 13th century it became a custom to drive away evil spirits by the strong smell of burning dried sardine heads, the smoke of burning wood, and the noise of drums. While these customs are not popular anymore, a few people still decorate their house entrances with fish heads and holy tree leaves in order to deter evil spirits from entering.
Now, there are only a few rituals that Japanese people still perform for Setsubun. One of these include throwing roasted beans around one's house and at temples and shrines: mame-maki. This is usually done the night of Setsubun. When throwing the beans, you are supposed to shout "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" ("Out with the demons and in with fortune!"). After mame-maki is over, everyone eats the same number of beans as their own age. It is believed that by doing so, people will be free of sickness during that year.
Families with little children especially look forward to this day because mame-maki can be a lot of fun. One person acts as the goblin and runs around, while the others throw beans at the person. At some schools, the students make goblin masks and enjoy mame-maki.
How will you be celebrating Setsubun this year? Let us know in your next Amity lesson!
Sincerely,
Your English Teachers at Mito Amity (♡°▽°♡)
Happy Lunar New Year! 🐍🎆
Hello Mito Amity students and family! ヽ(>∀<☆)ノ
Today’s post is Mito Amity’s first English post of 2025. We apologize for keeping everyone waiting! The Mito Amity English Friday Series is officially back and better than ever before!
This week we will be talking about Lunar New Year, a holiday that is coming up this next week on Wednesday, January 29th. The date of the Lunar New Year holiday depends on the position of the moon, so the date changes each year. Lunar New Year lasts for 15 days, beginning with the new moon and ending with the full moon.
This holiday is also called the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year! Even though it is known as Chinese New Year, it is not only celebrated in China but also in Vietnam, Singapore, Korea, Japan, and in many other countries where people of Chinese descent live.
Firecrackers are often shot off on New Year’s Eve. Fireworks celebrate the end of the old year and the beginning of the new year. Lunar/Chinese New Year is a time to feast and to visit family members. During this 15-day period, there will often be day parades with lion dancers or night festivals with flying lanterns.
Chinese years are named after 12 different animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Lunar/Chinese New Year marks the start of the next animal’s year. After 12 years, the cycle of animals repeats itself. This year will be the Year of the Snake. These are the years of the snake from the past: 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025. Do you know anyone who was born in the Year of the Snake? If you do, you should gift them something red to bring them good luck for the year!
Will you be celebrating Lunar New Year this coming week? Let us know in your next Amity lesson!
Sincerely,
Your English Teachers at Mito Amity (ノ= ⩊ = )ノ
