Christmas Traditions - Japan
Today's Christmas Traditions come from Japan. Christmas is the time for friends and couples to have parties, make plans to meet up for dinner and celebrate as much as they can. And New Year is the time of the year when all members of the family come together, visit the temple, and usher-in January 1st, with food and drinks.
One fun fact about the holiday season in Japan is that Christmas Eve (december 24) is the most romantic day of the year. It’s the Japanese version of Valentine’s Day. As a matter of fact, if you don’t have a date on Christmas Eve, you won’t want to be seen alone in public. Japanese couples, especially the youngest, book dinners at romantic restaurants, the stores sell romantic Christmas gifts, and the streets are decorated to perfection to embody this most romantic day. Oh and if you did the quiz, you will know that Japanese people celebrate Christmas Day by having a KFC ( seriously! - you can read about that here)
Key Vocabulary (you can pop here to Google Translate and they can say them for you) :
メリークリスマス Merīkurisumasu - Merry Christmas
サンタクロース Santakurōsu- Father Christmas
ケンタッキーフライドチキン Kentakkīfuraidochikin- Christmas Lunch
贈り物 Okurimono- Present
人参 Ninjin- Carrots
スプラウト Supurauto- Sprouts
クリスマスの靴下 Kurisumasu no kutsushita- Stocking
雪 Yuki- Snow