Talk:Holidays of Japan

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[edit] Current Japan-related collaboration

This article is the first Current Japan-related collaboration. I propose that we improve this article to featured-status quality in about 30 days.

The article has these parts:

1. Introductory (lead-in) paragraph
2. Table of Japanese holidays
3. Other holiday dates
4. Recent changes
5. Planned changes
6. See also
7. External links

We can change the organization any way we like. I propose to replace the present Table of Japanese holidays with text. The text will come in two sections: one for legal holidays, one for other holidays. A merged list below the text will have the holidays in chronological order, if we feel that is important.

I believe the current Table of Japanese holidays is thus acceptable, and that replacing it with text would be of no particular benefit. However, the background colour of rows could be changed depending on the nature of the holidays. Grumpy Troll ^Talk 13:07, 20 November 2005 (UTC).

Actually, I like the table too. My question is this: will the article reach featured status if its main content is in a table? I'm not sure of the answer. And if the answer is "no," then my next question is whether featured status is worth sacrificing the table for. Again, I'm not sure how I'd answer. (My goal, again, is "featured-status quality" rather than featured status itself, and I definitely believe we can attain that quality with the table intact.) So at least unless Peer Review or Featured Article Candidacy indicates strong objection to the table, I'm very happy to work within it. And, thanks for signing on! Fg2 07:17, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

However, the table makes it difficult to insert images. Please see below. Fg2 07:36, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

I should think that the article will reach featured status if the table hosts the content better than several paragraphs, which I believe is the case; I agree that unless opinion unfavourable to the table is expressed until Peer Review or Featured Article Candidacy, we should work with it. Thank you for welcoming me heartily, it is my pleasure to work on this article. Grumpy Troll ^Talk 18:24, 21 November 2005 (UTC).

I think the table is fine, but at the moment, it is unclear which holidays are national holidays (public holidays). I came here looking for this answer and now I'll have to troll elsewhere. Stephen.frede 02:32, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

Apologies! I intended to include that information with every holiday. If you can tell me which holidays don't have this information, I'll be happy to add it! Thanks Fg2 07:03, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

It appears that most entries indicate whether they are national holidays or not, but perhaps this distinction could be made immediately evident through a binary color-code system. The cells containing National Holidays could be one color and Traditional, but unofficial holidays could remain clear. Kirkpatrick 13:53, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

Other holiday dates: this is not dates, so we should change the title. Maybe merge with Recent changes and Planned changes to make one substantial section.

References: We'll likely need references to get this article featured. They can be books, periodicals, reference works etc.

Timeline:

[edit] Images

We can illustrate this page with images of anything related to the holidays. Please add to this list of ideas:

• New year's greeting card, osechi ryori, kadomatsu, kagami mochi
• Adults wearing kimono on coming of age day
• Beans being thrown, or another event such as goma kuyo, on setsubun
• Dolls for hinamatsuri
• Chocolate gifts for white day
• Tanabata decorations
• Daimonji-yaki for obon
• Kids in kimono for shichi-go-san
• Well-wishers at the Imperial Palace for the Emperor's birthday

[edit] Volunteers

Please add your name to the list to indicate your interest in improving this article. If you have a specific task you want to carry out, please list it, and feel free to do it!

1. Fg2
2. Grumpy Troll ^Talk

[edit] Comments

Please feel free to use this discussion page as usual to discuss the contents of the article, the direction I've proposed, etc.

[edit] Sample entry

Here's what I envision as a sample entry for the text to replace the table:

January 1 stands at the beginning of Japan's most important holiday season. Japanese call this season shōgatsu or o-shōgatsu. The term may refer to January 1–3, 1–7, or 1–20. Historically, shogatsu was a name for January. January 1 is a national holiday.

We can continue by briefly describing what people do, incorporating material from Japanese New Year, the Japanese Wikipedia, references etc.

[edit] Merging with Japanese Calendar article

It's been suggested that this article be merged with Japanese calendar, and I'm inclined to agree, especially given that all the Japanese national holidays have their own articles. Rather than improve this article, wouldn't it be a better use of time to improve the individual holiday articles and gradually phase this one out? -- Exitmoose 07:36, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

It would probably work. Another possibility is to combine the holidays into this article and phase out the individual articles. I'm open to either. Fg2 08:04, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

P.S. the drive to improve the article was a year ago. Fg2 08:05, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

It's been a month. Is there any more opinion on this? Fg2 10:32, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

I'm not opposed to the idea of a merger; but, where would we put a list of non-holidays, like White Day or Tanabata? Neier 12:57, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

Removing merger proposal. Fg2 07:07, 18 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Archives

Talk:Holidays of Japan/Archive 01 –November 30, 2005

[edit] 2009 autumnal equinox note

I'm curious about the statement about the 2009 autumnal equinox:

A provision of the law establishes that when a national holiday lands on a Sunday, that holiday is moved to the next day. Also when a day is sandwiched between two national holidays, that day shall also become a holiday (thus May 4, sandwiched between May 3 and May 5, is a holiday). By the same law, September 22, 2009 is supposed to be a national holiday because the autumnal equinox is expected to land on September 23 that year; however, the official date of autumnal equinox will be decided on February 1 of that year.

This seems to reference the previous statement that holidays that fall on a Sunday are moved up to Monday. However, September 22, 2009, is a Teusday. Further, the only holiday that is around that time is Respect for the Aged Day (September 21, 2009). What is this statement about the autumnal equinox supposed to enlighten upon? - Everchanging02 00:18, 4 March 2007 (UTC)

Respect for the aged day will be on September 21. Whether the Japanese government determines that the equinox is on the 22nd or 23rd is not decided yet. From a strict celestial physics point of view, it should be on the 23rd, which would give everyone three days off. But, governments have been known to try and regulate science before: Indiana Pi Bill, etc. Neier 04:46, 4 March 2007 (UTC)

According to the Japanese article ja:秋分の日 (Vernal Equinox Day), it has never been assigned to days other than the day calculated based on celestial physics. --Kusunose 06:34, 4 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Shinto Holidays

I was searching wikipedia and, to my supprise, I found no Shinto holidays. I checked this page 'cuz I thought it'd be here, since Shinto is a japanese religion, and still found nothing. Is it that they have no holidays? Or is it that Wikipedia has not found any yet? Kingsean12 (talk) 05:06, 18 December 2007 (UTC)

There are holidays that have connections with Shinto, for example, the founding of Japan by the first emperor and the harvest festival. These have become national holidays under different names. There's also the current emperor's birthday. The emperor was the center of State Shinto and the imperial family is important in Shinto generally. Other than that, shrines have festivals, typically spring and autumn (see Japanese festivals) but they're local, and there's no one day for Shinto festivals nationwide. Fg2 (talk) 05:43, 18 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Unknown fragment

This was found in holiday, anyone know what it is about?

The most celebrated holiday in Japan is the return of Burruku and Sie. They are the Goddesses of the dead. Every two years they are honored for their intelligence and magical tributions. They sacrificed themselves to let Japan become its own country. They are the most significant Goddesses in Japanese world history. They are honored with tributes of Japanese art such as anime, manga, and calligraphy.

MickMacNee (talk) 19:43, 14 February 2008 (UTC)

That passage provides more information about the person who added it to the article than about holidays or deities of Japan. Never heard of any such goddesses or holidays. Fg2 (talk) 21:37, 14 February 2008 (UTC)

That's what I suspected, it isn't in any article as of now. MickMacNee (talk) 23:02, 14 February 2008 (UTC)