※This article was published at
December 2014.※
Christmas is a Christian event, while New Year’s is a Shinto even for Japanese people.
If this is the case, you may wonder what religion Japanese people believe in.
To be honest, I don’t think most Japanese people really think about religion that much.
If you had to specify a religion for Japanese people, you could say that they believe in both Christianity and Shinto.
In addition, funerals are often held based on Buddhist ceremonies.
Towns become decorated with Christmas lights from the end of November.
Some homes also decorate trees, and Christmas is a holiday that everyone looks forward to.
On Christmas day, families, couples, and friends often gather to eat cake and other foods in celebration of Christmas.
The thing most awaited by children is of course presents from Santa Claus.
On December 26, towns in Japan change completely, undergoing such a transformation that the Christmas mood up to the day before almost seems like a lie.
Everyone then starts preparations for New Year’s all at once.
People prepare by putting up kadomatsu (auspicious pine and bamboo decorations) at the front door entrance and buying osechi (festive food for the New Year) to eat over New Year’s.
Everyone visits a shrine once the new year has begun.
They then prey to the gods during these visits, wishing for happiness over the upcoming year.
This Japanese view towards religion is perhaps based on the syncretic fusion of Shintoism and Buddhism.
The syncretic fusion of Shintoism and Buddhism is a belief system from before the Meiji period in Japan in which both the gods of Shinto and Buddhism were believed in at the same time.
For Japanese people, religion is something that should be in harmony, not conflict.
For this reason, Japanese people love both Christmas and New Year’s. Both are important events for feeling the seasonal spirit and deepening bonds between family members and couples.
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