Christmas in Japan
In many countries across the world, December is the most-awaited month of the year. It is thought of as a month of celebration and happiness, mainly because of its association with beautiful festivities like Christmas and New Year.
Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus in the Christian faith, which represents new beginnings, and so does the New Year. Perhaps this is what makes December as important, as it depicts a fresh start, a re-birth of some kind.
Christianity is quite foreign to the Japanese, with less than 2 percent of the population adhering to it. However, Christmas, this traditional Christian festive, can be felt and seen in all corners of the country.
Christmas
From the mesmerising, dazzling winter illuminations spread all over the archipelago, to the wonderful decorations typically associated with Christmas, to the bustling Christmas markets scattered everywhere, the general atmosphere in December is reminiscent of Christmas.
What is peculiar and different about Japanese Christmas, though, is that it has no religious significance whatsoever. The celebrations are purely secular, reflecting the country’s lack of ties with Christianity.
So, this begs the important question: why is Christmas widely celebrated in Japan?
To make a long story short, Christmas celebrations were imported into the country after World War II when Japan started shifting its focus towards modernisation and westernisation through the adoption of American and Western customs, lifestyle, and celebrations.
At its core, Japanese Christmas is far from religious and devoid of any sacredness. It is a time of love, happiness, and appreciation of all sorts of relationships – familial, romantic, or platonic friendships.
To the surprise of many, Christmas time, especially Christmas Eve, is kind of the country’s version of Valentine’s Day. It is regarded as a highly romantic period during which couples celebrate their bond through lovely dates and gifts.
Whilst the purpose of Japanese Christmas differs from that of its Western counterpart, both of them share a very intriguing aspect, which is Christmas markets.
Christmas Markets
Traditionally, Christmas markets first appeared in Europe, specifically in Germany and some neighbouring countries.
Nowadays, they are places dedicated to selling festive-related goods like alluring handcrafts and lovely decorative ornaments, in addition to regular winter necessities.
Japanese Christmas markets offer the same thing, and are typically well-embellished with captivating decorations that bring warmth to a rather cold winter.
On top of the gleaming winter illuminations, Christmas markets are usually garnished with Santa-related ornaments and Christmas trees. These, together with the Christmas music playing in the background, make everyone feel the spirit of this beautiful festive.
The fun does not stop there. These markets are also popular for their food and drinks pertaining to European traditions like German-style sausages, hot wine, beer, cakes, and all kinds of chocolate, along with some handmade souvenir and gift stalls that offer people a wide variety of local goods to choose from.
Japan is always seen as a country of innovation and uniqueness, and nothing portrays this more perfectly than the way it adopted a traditionally important Christian celebration and shaped it in an exceptional way, totally transforming the meaning behind it. Everything about the atmosphere reflects a Christmas spirit, but the actual celebrations are not associated with Christmas.
