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Japan Tourist Guides — Events  Festivals and traditions are a deeply rooted part of Japanese culture. Shogatsu or the New Year is celebrated from January 1st to 3rd, and is one of the most important festivals of the year. A chance to complete duties and leave old worries behind and start the new year afresh, business are closed during this period. Pine ornaments and bamboo and plum trees decorate homes and entrances and families spend time together celebrating the coming of the New Year. Seiji no hi or the Coming of Age is celebrated on the second Monday of January. In Japan, the age twenty is considered the beginning of adulthood, and this festival celebrates the coming of age of all 20-year-old men and women. Setsubun celebrates the advent of spring. Traditionally, evil spirits were driven away during this festival by burning dried sardine heads, burning wood and the sound of drums. Today, evil spirits are more benign - they are driven away by throwing roasted beans around homes and temples to the shouts of 'Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!' which translates as 'Devil's out, happiness in'. Kenkoku Kinenbi is celebrated on February 11th as the coronation of the first Japanese emperor in the year 660 BC. Valentine Day is celebrated with a difference in Japan - the girls woo boys with gifts. The Golden Week - celebrated from April 29th To May 5th consist of Midori no hi (the birthday of Emperor Showa), Kenpo Kinenbi (Constitution day) and Kodormo no hi (Children's day). Ancestors are commemorated on Obon - a major Buddhist festival. Traditionally, lanterns are hung in front of homes to guide ancestors' spirits returning to earth to visit their relatives. During the festival, families visit graves, offer food at altars and shrines and perform Obon dances. At the end of the festival, lanterns are floated down rivers and lakes to guide the spirits back to the other world. Shubun no hi, or the autumn equinox, is similarly commemorated by remembering the dead, and visiting their graves. Keiro no hi is Aged Day, where respect for elders and longevity are celebrated. Shichigosan, on the other hand, celebrates the good health of children. Tenno no tanjobi - the birthday of the current emperor is always a national holiday.
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