Giving Chocolate to the Man You Love In some countries, Valentine’s Day is a special day when lovers give gifts to each other, or men offer flowers and other presents to their sweetheart. In Japan, it is customary that women offer chocolates to men, who only receive the gifts. Valentine’s Day is the busiest season for…
Casting Evil Away: The Japanese Celebration of Setsubun
The characters for setsubun in Japanese are 節分, literally meaning “season division.” This celebration traditionally takes place on February 3rd, one day before spring according to the lunar calendar. In older times, spring used to be the New Year, so setsubun can be understood as a form of ancient New Year’s Eve. To welcome the new year…