Discover the full moon in January in Japan

Like Vietnam, Japan also has the full moon in January's Day with its own unique cultural and culinary features. Let's also learn about it:

The full moon in January in Japan

Gaikokujinnavi - Koshougatsu (full moon in January) in Japan takes place on January 15. End of January 16.

Because the word oshougatsu is actually used to refer to the Lunar New Year, so people decided to take the name Koshougatsu to indicate the full moon day of January took place on January 15.

According to the lunar calendar, the first day is the starting day of each month, the 15th day will be the most full moon night, the following days, the moon will gradually and like that will form a complete month.

Before the Chinese calendar was merged into Japan, the old Japanese said that the full moon phenomenon was a special competent phenomenon, so they thought that they would take the first day of appearance of the fullest moon of the year as their first day. year. It is also the origin of the name Koshougatsu.

In the 5th year of Minh Tri period (1872), the solar calendar was widely applied, oshougatsu was counted from the first day of the year until the decoration of pine trees on Tet holiday, so January 15 was officially called it. Koshougatsu.

However, the solar calendar could not observe the moon's movement, so it did not guarantee that on Koshougatsu, the moon would be round.

In addition, Koshougatsu can also be called Onnashougatsu (女正月) as if sending thanks to the women who work hard in the New Year week in Japan. It seems that on this day, Japanese women will go to their biological parents' home and can enjoy slowly this time.

Events on Koshougatsu day

On the occasion of Oshougatsu, there are often events to welcome their ancestors, or the fairies of the new year to pray for each home to be happy and affluent, on the occasion of Oshougatsu often have events related to agriculture is mainly.

Pray for harvesting crops

To pray for good harvesting crops, people will have decorative activities such as decoration into willow leaves with red, white mochi cake attached on it. Such cakes are called mochibana.

Repay the devil

Today, the "fire festival" is held in the temple or in the fields in some places of Japan called "Dondoyaki".

On this "fire festival", people will burn pine trees that have been decorated from the days of oshougatsu or opposite sentence cards, claiming words at the beginning of the year.

It is said that at that time, when smoke flew up, the gods also flew back to heaven. In addition, if baking mochi with that fire and then eating will help the crop that year to be harvested well, and the body will also be healthy.

Food on Koshougatsu

On this day, Japanese people will eat Azukigayu (red bean porridge). It is a combination of rice and red beans, then cooked, then served with mochi.

It is said that the red color of the beans will create the ability to dispel all evils, and you will have a healthy year when eating this red bean porridge.

Wish you are studying and living in Japan with a meaningful and warm full moon day. Experience a lot of unique cultural features in Japan.