This is the day that the GUYS get to give a gift to the girls. This is in response to Valentine's Day. "In 1978, the National Confectionery Industry Association tried to boost sales, and decided that a new holiday was the best way to do it.Originally it was called Marshmallow Day and was all about marshmallows, not chocolate. People liked the idea of the new holiday, but weren't too keen on the marshmallows. The preferred candy changed from marshmallows to chocolate, but the color scheme stayed the same – hence the name “White Day,” and why white chocolate remains a popular White Day gift, even today." Quote from Tofugu A funny little "How to Celebrate White Day" Happy White Day everyone! It's Valentines day!
So In Japan this is the day that the girls make chocolates for the boys. Now the chocolates they make can have different meanings, there's the one for friends and then there's the ones for their crushes. Giri choco, obligation chocolates are given to the men that you work with etc. and honmei choco, true love chocolates, to the man that you would like affections returned from. Here are some Japanese Chocolate recipes to try out: Nama Chocolate 3 Giri Choco Options Honmei Choco The chocolate seen in the Kimi Ni Todoke Valentines Day episode For now here are some Valentine's Day episodes: Tokyo Mew Mew (Sub) Lovely Complex (Sub) Yu-Gi-Oh! (Dub) Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (Sub) XXXholic The Movie: A Midsummers Night Dream (Dub) Toradora! (Sub) Kimi Ni Todoke (Sub) B Gata H Kei (Sub) Lucky Star (Dub) Urusei Yatsura (Sub) Marmalade Boy (Dub) The Wallflower (Dub) If you know of any other episodes let me know :) Happy Valentine's Day everyone! <3 According to the earliest Japanese history records, on this day in the year 660 BC the first Japanese emperor was crowned.Many Japanese historians believe that:
the enthroning of Emperor Jinmu, as described in the Nihon Shoki (The Chronicles of Japan), was not a historical fact but folklore. Before World War II government offices and schools throughout Japan held all sorts of celebrations on Kigensetsu, but after the war, the holiday was abolished for various reasons. Many people kept voicing that they wanted the return of the holiday. So much so they kept voicing themselves, until in 1966. In 1966 Kigen Setsu was again made a national holiday, but renamed Kenkoku Kinenbi, or National Foundation Day. The Nihon Shoki begins with the Japanese creation myth, explaining the origin of the world and the first seven generations of divine beings (starting with Kunitokotachi), and goes on with a number of myths as does the Kojiki, but continues its account through to events of the 8th century. It is believed to record accurately the latter reigns of Emperor Tenji, Emperor Temmu and Empress Jitō. The Nihon Shoki focuses on the merits of the virtuous rulers as well as the errors of the bad rulers. It describes episodes from mythological eras and diplomatic contacts with other countries. The Nihon Shoki was written in classical Chinese, as was common for official documents at that time. The Kojiki, on the other hand, is written in a combination of Chinese and phonetic transcription of Japanese (primarily for names and songs). The Nihon Shoki also contains numerous transliteration notes telling the reader how words were pronounced in Japanese. Collectively, the stories in this book and the Kojiki are referred to as the Kiki stories. The Imperial house of Japan traditionally based its claim to the throne on its descent from Jimmu. While his accession is traditionally dated to 660 BC, no historically firm dates can be assigned to this early emperor's life or reign, nor to the reigns of his early successors. Most modern historians dismiss this entire period as being beyond what history can know. The reign of Emperor Kimmei (509?–571 AD), the 29th emperor, is the first for which contemporary historiography is able to assign verifiable dates. In Japanese mythology, the Age of the Gods is the period before Jimmu's accession. According to Shinto belief, Jimmu is regarded as a direct descendant of the sun goddess, Amaterasu. Amaterasu had a son called Ame no Oshihomimi no Mikoto and through him a grandson named Ninigi-no-Mikoto. She sent her grandson to the Japanese islands where he eventually married Konohana-Sakuya-hime. Among their three sons was Hikohohodemi no Mikoto, also called Yamasachi-hiko, who married Toyotama-hime. She was the daughter of Ryūjin, the Japanese sea god. They had a single son called Hikonagisa Takeugaya Fukiaezu no Mikoto. The boy was abandoned by his parents at birth and consequently raised by Tamayori-hime, his mother's younger sister. They eventually married and had a total of four sons. The last of these sons, Kamuyamato Iwarebiko, became Emperor Jimmu. LINKS: ( ALL THE INFORMATION ABOVE CAME FROM THESE SITES) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nihon_Shoki http://www.japanlinked.com/about_japan/fha/kenkokukinenbiKenkoku.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Jimmu Setsubun is not a national holiday, but celebrated at shrines and temples nationwide.
Setsubun ("seasonal division") is a festival held on February 3 or 4, one day before the start of spring according to the Japanese lunar calendar. Setsubun is not a national holiday. For many centuries, the people of Japan have been performing rituals with the purpose of chasing away evil spirits at the start of spring. Around the 13th century, for example, 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 this custom is 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. In modern days, the most commonly performed setsubun ritual is the throwing of roasted beans around one's house and at temples and shrines across the country. When throwing the beans, you are supposed to shout "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" ("Devils out, happiness in"). Afterwards you should pick up and eat the number of beans, which corresponds to your age. Setsubun (節分), Bean-Throwing Festival or Bean-Throwing Ceremony) is the day before the beginning of Spring in Japan. The name literally means "seasonal division", but usually the term refers to the Spring Setsubun, properly called Risshun (立春) celebrated yearly on February 3 as part of the Spring Festival (春祭 haru matsuri). In its association with the Lunar New Year, Spring Setsubun can be and was previously thought of as a sort of New Year's Eve, and so was accompanied by a special ritual to cleanse away all the evil of the former year and drive away disease-bringing evil spirits for the year to come. This special ritual is called mamemaki (豆撒き) (literally "bean throwing"). Setsubun has its origins in tsuina (追儺), a Chinese custom introduced to Japan in the eighth century. LINKS: (ALL THE INFORMATION ABOVE CAME FROM THESE SITES) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Setsubun http://www.dltk-kids.com/world/japan/index-setsubun.htm Image from: http://unajaponesaenjapon.wordpress.com/2008/02/02/setsubun/ Activity: Origami: http://www.origami-club.com/season/2/fuku-oni/index.html |