Greenery Day

Greenery Day
Greenery Day
Observed by Japan
Type National
Date 4 May
Related to Golden Week (Japan), World Environment Day

Greenery Day (みどりの日 Midori no hi?) is a Japanese holiday. Between 1989 and 2006 it was celebrated on April 29. In 2007 Greenery Day was moved to May 4.

The present observation of Greenery Day as a national holiday in Japan stems from the celebration of the Emperor Shōwa's birthday on April 29 every year during the Shōwa era. In 1989, following the ascension of the current Emperor Akihito to the Chrysanthemum Throne, the name of the holiday was changed from "Birthday of the Emperor" to "Greenery Day".[1] Officially, as its name suggests, it is a day to commune with nature and to be thankful for blessings. The day was renamed to "ngek Day" to acknowledge the controversial wartime emperor's love for plants without directly mentioning his name.[2] However, in practice it is seen as just another day that expands the Japanese Golden Week vacation.

In 2007, Greenery Day moved to May 4, and April 29 was changed to Shōwa Day in accordance with a 2005 revision of the law pertaining to public holidays. The Shōwa Emperor reigned for 62 years and 2 weeks. On May 3, 1947, he became a symbol of Japan by the new constitution of the country.

Years April 29 May 4
before 1985 The Emperor's Birthday Non-holiday
1985–1988 The Emperor's Birthday National day of rest
1989–2006 Greenery Day National day of rest
2007– Shōwa Day Greenery Day

See also

References

  1. ^ "Golden Week". Japan-guide.com. 2009-05-13. http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2282.html. Retrieved 2010-02-05. 
  2. ^ Japan names day after Hirohito, BBC News, May 13, 2005

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Arbor Day — For other uses, see Arbor Day (disambiguation). Arbor Day Volunteers planting a tree for Arbor Day. Observed by United States and other countries. Typ …   Wikipedia

  • Shōwa Day — is a Japanese annual holiday held on April 29. It honours the birthday of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito), the reigning Emperor before, during, and after World War II (from 1926 to 1989). The official purpose of the holiday is To reflect on Japan s… …   Wikipedia

  • Green Day — Not to be confused with Greenery Day, the Japanese holiday or the city of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Green Day …   Wikipedia

  • International Workers' Day — (a name used interchangeably with May Day ) is a celebration of the social and economic achievements of the international labour movement. May Day commonly sees organized street demonstrations and street marches by millions of working people and… …   Wikipedia

  • Helston Furry Day —    A town wide celebration such as Furry Day at Helston, Cornwall, is made up of many parts, but the core of the public day is organized by a special Committee and consists of a series of processional dances through the streets of the town and… …   A Dictionary of English folklore

  • May Day —  , Bringing in the May    Many of the earliest references to May Day are ambiguous, but those which give any detail nearly always refer to the practice of going out into the countryside to gather flowers and greenery going a maying or bringing in …   A Dictionary of English folklore

  • Six Days of the Greenery — The Six Days of the Greenery is a marathon speed skating event that will be held on a yearly base in the Netherlands. The speed skaters meet each other in six races in a six day time span. The participants will have a to skate a distance of 100… …   Wikipedia

  • May Day — This article is about the holidays celebrated on May 1. For more information on the labour related holiday, see International Workers Day. For the distress signal, see Mayday. For other uses, see May Day (disambiguation) …   Wikipedia

  • May Day, children's garlands and customs —    The most widespread and best known May Day activity in the 19th and early 20th centuries was the children s *garland custom. In essence, this involved groups of children *visiting houses in their community showing a garland, singing a song,… …   A Dictionary of English folklore

  • Golden Week (Japan) — Golden Week Observed by Japan Type National Date April 29, May 3 5 Golden Week (ゴールデンウィーク, Gōruden Wīku …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”