5月5日は男の子の成長を祝う「端午の節句」です。この日は「こどもの日」として国民の祝日にもなっています。男の子のいる家庭では武者や英雄を模した五月人形を飾ったり、屋外にこいのぼりをたてたり、菖蒲やかしわもちを供えたりすることで、その子の立身出世を祈ります。

端午の節句は、古くは災厄を避けるために、菖蒲等の薬草や鳥獣を捕る薬猟の日でした。
室町時代から、紙製のかぶとに菖蒲の花を飾るようになり、江戸時代になって、武者人形やこいのぼりが登場。広く定着したのは明治時代にはいってからです。

Tango no Sekku

May 5 is a day for boys. Long the Tango no Sekku, it has been officially renamed Children’s Day and made a national holiday. Families with sons buy armored samurai dolls and miniature helmets, hang out koi-nobori, buy irises and kashiwa-mochi, and pray for their sons’ success in life.

Tango no Sekku used to be a day for hunting game and gathering medicinal herbs, such as iris leaves. Shobu in Japanese, the iris has a homonym meaning “military spirit”, from whence came the Muromachi custom of decorating paper helmets with iris leaves.
Samurai dolls and koi-nobori first appeared in the Edo period, but it was not until the Meiji period that these customs became popular nationwide.

美しく咲いた桜を観賞し楽しむため公園などに出かけることを花見といいます。日本では、3月・4月に桜の花が満開になると、家族や職場の仲間、友人などと一緒に花見をする習慣があります。
桜の木の下にござなどを敷いて酒を飲んだり食事をしたりして春の到来を楽しみます。

Hanami(Flower-viewing)
Hanami is going out to places such as parks to appreciate and enjoy leisurely the beautiful blooming cherry blossoms. The custom in Japan, in March and April when the cherry blossoms are full bloom, is to do hanami with family,colleagues from work, or friends.
People spread a mat under cherry blossoms, drink sake, eat foods,and enjoy the coming of spring.

「わび」は、茶道の中で生まれた美意識で、おこらず質素な中に、豊かさと静かな心を秘めたもの。千利休をはじめ茶道の宗匠たちは、一輪の野の花や日常雑記の中に美を見出しました。
「さび」は、松尾芭蕉を中心と下俳句の世界でいわれた美意識で、静かな孤高の心境をいいます。

Wabi and Sabi

Born of the tea ceremony, wabi is an aesthetic of finding richness and serenity in simplicity. This was epitomized by the single wild flower and everyday plainness which decorated the tea houses of Sen no Rikyu and other masters.
Sabi was a term for the beauty of such haiku as those by Bashou, and it speaks of a quiet grandeur enjoyed in solitude.

ひな祭りは、3月3日、女の子の健やかな成長や幸福を願う行事で、桃の節句とも呼ばれます。女の子のいる家庭の多くはひな人形を飾り、桃の花やひなあられ、菱餅、白酒などをひな人形に備えます。
昔は紙で簡単なひな人形を作り、3月3日に川に流していましたが、やがて現在のようなひな人形を飾るようになりました。
ひな祭りの起源は、身の穢れや災いを人形に移し、川に流して厄払いしたという古代の風習にあります。これが、女の子の人形遊び（ひな遊び）と結びつき、江戸時代からは現在に近い形の「ひな祭り」としてとり行われるようになりました。

Hinamatsuri
Hinamatsuri (the Girl’s Festival) ,occurs on March 3 , is a celebration for families with young girls to pray for their good health and happiness. It is also known as momo no sekku (the Peach Festival).
Most homes with girls display dolls for the Doll’s Festival and dedicate to them peach blossoms, rice cake cubes, special coloured and diamond-shaped rice cakes,white sake,and other items.

The origin of hinamatsuri is an ancient practice in which the sin of the body and misfortune are transferred to a doll and washed away by setting the doll in a river to drift away.
When this practice spread to Japan, it was linked to girl’s playing with dolls and, in the Edo Period, was developed into the hinamatsuri

節分とはもともと、「季節の分かれ目」を意味していました。現在では特に、立春の前日である２月3日がこれに当たり、この日の夜、煎った大豆を家の内外にまきながら「鬼は外！福は内！」と唱え「豆まき」をおこないます。
その年の健康・無病息災を祈り、大豆を年の数だけ食べるという習慣もあります。
神社でも大掛かりな豆まきが実施されます。

Setsubun(The eve of the first day of spring)
Setsubun actually signifies the parting of the seasons; especially nowadays it falls on about February 3 , the day before the first day of spring.
On the evening of this day, people yell,”Out with the ogre(demon)! In with the happiness!” while scattering parched soy beans inside and outside their homes.
To pray for good health for the year, there is also the custom of eating only the same number of soy beans(called fukumame) as one’s age.
At temples and shrines,too,bean scattering is practiced on a grand scale.

やいかがし
節分の夜、家の戸口に、イワシの頭、柊の葉を飾る習慣があります。これは、イワシの臭いと柊の葉のとげで鬼を追い払うという意味をもっています。

Yaikagashi
On the night of setsubun,the head of a sardine and leaves of holly are displayed at the entrance of houses.
It is a charm to drive away the demon with the smell of the sardine and the spiky leaves of the holly.

1月11日に鏡餅を割って、お雑煮やお汁粉にして食べます。11日にもなると、鏡餅は固くひび割れてきますが、縁起物なので刃物で「切る」ことを酒、手や槌でたたいて割ります。

Kagami biraki
Kagami-biraki is an event that occurs on January 11 to split open the kagami-mochi and make zoni or shiruko(azuki bean soup) with it.
By the 11th, kagami-mochi hardens and cracks,but, since it is a good luck charm, “cutting” it with a sharp edge is avoided and it is split by hand or with a hammer.

１月７日（人日の節句）の朝に、セリやセズナなど「春の七草」をいれてたいたお粥「七草粥」を食べ、１年の健康（無病息災）を祈願します。

Nanakusa-gayu(Seven-herb rice porridge)
On the morning of January 7, kayu(rice porridge) with the seven spring herbs, such as Japanese parsley and shepherd’s purse, are eaten as a custom to pray for the health in the year.

お正月とは1年の最初の月のことですが、普通１日から７日までの松の内（正月の飾りを飾っている期間）または１日から３日までのことをさします。

Shogatsu(New Year)
Although shogatsu literally means the first month of the year, it generally indicates matsuno uchi(January 1-7),during which New Year’s decorations are displayed) or first three days of January.

＜お正月にまつわること＞

■門松

年神様をお迎えするための目印として、新年に家の門や入り口の両側に立てるもの。門松は、松の枝を組み合わせて作った飾りに竹や梅がそえられたものです。松は長生きの象徴でもあります。

Kadomasu
A pair of decorations put at both sides of the gates or entrances of houses in order to summon the year got.Kadomatsu are decorations made with assembled pine branches enhanced by stems of bamboo and sprays of plum trees.Pine is used as a symbol of longevity.

■しめ縄

正月に家の入り口にかけて、不浄なものの侵入を防ぐもの。

Shimenawa
A decoration put over the door of a house during New Year period to keep the evil out.

■しめ飾り

しめ縄と同様に、お正月に家の入り口に飾るもので、魔除けの意味があります。わら、紙四手の他、縁起のよい飾りがついています。お正月が終わると門松などと一緒に神社へもっていき、焼いてもらいます。

Shimekazari
A decoration displayed at the entrances of houses during the New Year like shimenawa as a charm against evil spirits.Straw,kamishide and good luck charms are attached.When the New Year period ends, this Shimekazari, Kadomatsu and the othe decorations are taken to Shinto shrines and burned.

■鏡餅

大小の丸い餅を２つ重ね、神様のお供えするもの。昔、鏡は丸く、人の魂を映す神聖なものとされていたことに由来します。

Kagamimochi
A set of two rice cakes, one large and one small, stacked one on top of the other as an offering to the gods. In old times, all mirrors(kagami) were round and considered sacred objects that reflected one’s spirit.

■初日の出

神道では太陽を最も神聖なものであるとされていることから、新年最初の日の出を拝み、一年の健康と幸運を祈願します。

Hatsuhinode(the sunrise on New Year’s Day)
As the sun is considered to be the most sacred object in Shinto, people worship the sunrise on New Year’s Day to pray for health and happiness in the new year.

■初詣

新年になって初めて寺社にお参りし、その年の健康と幸運を願うもの。

Hatsumode
During the New Year period, people go for the first temple or　shrine visit of the year to pray for health and happiness in the new year.

■初夢
正月２日の夜に見る夢。「一富士二鷹三なすび」というのがめでたいとされる夢の順番です。

Hatsuyume
Hatsuyume is the dream that occurs the night of New Year’s Day to the morning of the 2nd. A saying states that the best order for the dream’s subject matter is:”first,Mt. Fuji;second,hawks;third,eggplants.”

■お屠蘇

その年の邪気をはらい、長寿を祈願して年始に飲むお酒。

Toso
A special sake people drink on the New Year’s Day to prevent illness in the new year and pray for the longevity.

■お雑煮

お雑煮は、餅や野菜を入れた汁で、新年を祝うためにお正月に欠かせない料理の１つです。関東地方の雑煮は四角い餅を入れたすまし汁仕立て、関西地方の雑煮は丸い餅を入れた味噌仕立てというのが一般的です。味付けや中に入れる具は、地方や家庭によって異なるのが雑煮の特徴です。

Zoni(Soup with rice cakes and vegetables)
Zoni is a soup with rice cakes(mochi) and vegetables.It is an essential dish for celebrating the New Year. In the Kanto area, zoni is generally prepared as a clear soup with square mochi, while Kansai , it is made with bean paste and round mochi.
But the seasoning and othe ingredients are different according to each region and household.

江戸の昔より『1年の無事に感謝し、来る年の幸を願う』酉の市は、11月の特定の日に神社で行われるお祭りで「お酉様」とも呼ばれます。本来は、開運・商売繁盛の神様をまつる鷲神社のお祭りでしたが、現在はその他の神社でも行われています。酉の日は11月に2回か3回あり、順に「一の酉」「二の酉」「三の酉」といいます。この日は神社の境内に、縁起物の熊手を売る店が数多く出店されます。

Torinoichi / Festival of the rooster
Torinoichi is a festival that occurs at Shinto shrines on set days in November and is also called “Honorable Rooster (Otorisama)”. Originally, it was a festival at Otori Jinja that celebrated the gods of luck and business prosperity, but now it occurs at other shrines too. Festival days occur two or three times November and are known as the “First Rooster””Second Rooster””Third Rooster”in order. On those days,lots of street stalls selling,among other things,bamboo rakes as giid luck charms are set up in the shrine compound.

文楽は日本の伝統的な人形芝居、人形浄瑠璃で、浄瑠璃（義太夫節）という独特の歌謡にあわせて演じられます。人形浄瑠璃が成立したのは1600年前後といわれ、主に大阪を中心に発展してきました。
通常、3人の人形遣いが舞台の上で１つの人形を操りますが、その動きの巧みさゆえ、人形遣いの存在は観客に意識されません。

Bunraku
Bunraku is the traditional Japanese puppet theater(ningyo joruri) which is performed with unique narrative chant called joruri(gidayu bushi).Ningyo Joruri is said to have been established around 1600 and flourished mainly in the Osaka area.
Usually, three puppet operators are on stage to manipulate one puppet, but , because of the skill of their movements, spectators are not conscious of the operators.