Celebrating Shōgatsu: The Roots Of Japan’s New Year Tradition

[{"selector":"#anim-7bd8252e-63f3-45da-9571-48e40f1cc623","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":250,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ae21db89-ea66-496f-825b-f395a8de6e80","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 315.49145%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":250,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Celebrating the start of a new year is an important event around the globe. While January 1 is a recognized holiday in many countries, in Japan, gantan (New Year’s Day) marks the beginning of three days of celebrations known as Shōgatsu.

In the Sinosphere, New Year was a time when subjects were expected to dutifully pay their respects to the Chinese emperor, with failure to do so being considered an act of rebellion against the ruler.

The New Year ceremony, called chōga in Japanese, was followed by a large banquet.

Starting in the latter half of the seventh century, though, Japanese court officials began conducting chōga in Japan.

Over time, the seasonal ritual spread to villages and households throughout Japan. In the New Year, members of communities would gather at the house of the village head and relatives would travel to the home of the family patriarch to offer greetings and to feast.

Custom dictated that residences be thoroughly cleaned in preparation for the festivities and that New Year’s decorations be put up.

Hosts were also expected to provide their guests with a spread of celebratory dishes, and both were expected to attend the important occasion dressed in formal attire.

Today, Japan celebrates Shōgatsu according to the Gregorian calendar rather than by traditional lunar reckoning, as in China and South Korea, but regardless of the difference in timing, New Year remains an extended holiday and a peak travel time as people are expected to return to their ancestral homes.

This sharply contrasts with Western countries, where New Year’s Day typically marks the end of the long Christmas and holiday season and the return to business as usual.

[{"selector":"#anim-7debafc4-0ca4-455e-84d4-6311fb65d87c","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-125.96154%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":400,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-3033e8e8-1122-40f6-aa13-981c15710615","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":400,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-7ff685dd-e6b7-4de7-983a-e99b7cc73c37","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":400,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-53b0534e-4f80-4ac4-ae8b-0a1670edc804","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-125.96154%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":300,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-aff1975d-5519-4fa5-9415-46e81e0a72d5","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":300,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-0e4872ad-43cb-4bf6-853d-83f1ff963910","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":300,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f62806cd-9e88-4e13-b7c8-5d9d3161ef06","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-125.96154%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":100,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-a397a7b6-02db-41d3-8b26-2370c3a52581","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":100,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-4bda57f9-bb60-4dfb-ae70-3ef1ad593082","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":100,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ec676991-4ad2-4da8-857b-00cc8946760d","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-fa4c1c6d-66ea-4dce-a379-5ff47426b74d","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":100,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-a75aa20f-c98c-466f-98fc-b800165ba094","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-163.24786%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":100,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-0838b472-72c7-4777-881a-916a25e2b063","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-9b6cef81-2cf7-4c2e-b05c-ef896e4b6a0d","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-162.82051%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-4c03be4e-9ef9-455c-be39-dcfab54a1566","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-de337400-3d18-4aa3-a6a5-12a349efca4e","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-167.74194%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Learn more

Celebrating Shōgatsu: The Roots Of Japan’s New Year Tradition

Celebrating the start of a new year is an important event around the globe. While January 1 is a recognized holiday in many countries, in Japan, gantan (New Year’s Day) marks the beginning of three days of celebrations known as Shōgatsu.