JSランゲージスクールブログ | New Years Traditions
> TOP>> JSランゲージブログ>> New Years Traditions
This week was New Year’s all over the world. There are some big differences between New Year’s in the United States and New Year’s in Japan. In the U.S, we celebrate New Year’s mainly with parties and a big countdown. In Japan, there are of course countdowns but there are also lots of special food and traditions. I got to experience a little bit of both this year, celebrating the Western way on New Year’s Eve and making traditional Japanese food with my circle (which I will write about in the next blog) a few days later.
For New Year’s Eve in the U.S, people like to go to clubs or to house parties. There is a big tradition of going out and drinking and then doing a countdown. One interesting thing that is also a tradition in Western countries is a New Year’s kiss. This is when the clock is at exactly midnight, you should kiss someone. It doesn’t matter if they are a stranger, you should have a kiss. If you don’t then you will have bad luck in love during the next year. Of course, not everyone participates in this tradition but it is still very popular.
In Japan, there are many interesting traditions. Seeing the first sunrise is a tradition I really like. We don’t really do this in the west. There is something that is very poetic and nice about it though. Also, the first shrine visit is very popular in Japan. This is also a very interesting thing for me. My impression is that religion in Japan isn’t as important to many people through the year. What I mean is people do not go out to shrines every week to pray. They only go on special occasions. It surprised me when so many people go out to shrines during the New Year. This is also a tradition that I really enjoy.
Even though some of our traditions are very different, I think New Year’s is exciting all over the world. I’m glad I got to experience the best of both worlds this year!
