Christmas Shopping in Japan
In Japan, Christmas is observed on the 25th of December. It arrives at the far end of the year adding color to ordinary life. The festival is less a religious occasion and more a commercial event owing to the fact that only about 1% of the Japanese population is estimated to be Christian. Christmas was started in the land of the rising sun during the 16th century with the arrival of the first Europeans. But the festival gained popularity due to increasing migration of people from all over the world to Japan.
In Japan, Christmas celebrations take place on Christmas Eve and not on December 25, the actual Christmas Day. Shopping for the season begin in earnest right from the beginning of December. The retail stores and shopping malls of Japan present an enthusiastic attitude towards the celebration. Every store is ready to greet with Christmas trees, Santa Claus and other seasonal decorations. The malls in Japan invites to gaze on their widely spread Christmas ornaments and decorations.
There are 2 special traditions in Japan. First, the daiku, which refers to Beethoven’s ninth symphony which is performed in many places at Christmas time. The second is the Christmas cake. Handing over presents & gifts to friends and family members is also quite popular tradition. The festival culminates with everyone in the family partaking in an extravagant meal specially prepared to mark the occasion. The traditional Japanese Christmas food is the Christmas cake, generally made of sponge cake, strawberries and whipped cream.
Most Japanese people decorate their homes with evergreens and beautify the exteriors with electric colorful lights during Christmas. There are no live Christmas trees in Japan, only artificial trees. The trees are decorated with small toys, dolls, gold paper fans, lanterns and wind chimes.
Even business establishments house a Christmas tree to celebrate the season of Jesus. For a few weeks before Christmas, shops set up displays of appropriate gifts for men, women and children (especially children). On Christmas day, families sit around the tree to exchange their gifts, whether it be at their house, relatives or friends.
For young children, it is the time to accept presents from a Buddhist monk who is seen as the Japanese equivalent of Santa Claus. For single women in Japan, the Christmas Eve is the time to spend quality hours with their special someone. Christmas presents given to girls are mainly consisted of Teddy Bears, flowers, scarves, rings and other jewelry items. Greeting cards are also given to friends during this time.
In Japan, everyone wishes another ‘Meri Kurisumasu’, meaning “Merry Christmas”, during Christmas time.
There are 2 special traditions in Japan. First, the daiku, which refers to Beethoven’s ninth symphony which is performed in many places at Christmas time. The second is the Christmas cake. Handing over presents & gifts to friends and family members is also quite popular tradition. The festival culminates with everyone in the family partaking in an extravagant meal specially prepared to mark the occasion. The traditional Japanese Christmas food is the Christmas cake, generally made of sponge cake, strawberries and whipped cream.
Most Japanese people decorate their homes with evergreens and beautify the exteriors with electric colorful lights during Christmas. There are no live Christmas trees in Japan, only artificial trees. The trees are decorated with small toys, dolls, gold paper fans, lanterns and wind chimes.
Even business establishments house a Christmas tree to celebrate the season of Jesus. For a few weeks before Christmas, shops set up displays of appropriate gifts for men, women and children (especially children). On Christmas day, families sit around the tree to exchange their gifts, whether it be at their house, relatives or friends.
For young children, it is the time to accept presents from a Buddhist monk who is seen as the Japanese equivalent of Santa Claus. For single women in Japan, the Christmas Eve is the time to spend quality hours with their special someone. Christmas presents given to girls are mainly consisted of Teddy Bears, flowers, scarves, rings and other jewelry items. Greeting cards are also given to friends during this time.
In Japan, everyone wishes another ‘Meri Kurisumasu’, meaning “Merry Christmas”, during Christmas time.
Categorised as: Japan