Labor Thanksgiving Day facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Labor Thanksgiving Day |
|
|---|---|
| Official name | 勤労感謝の日 (Kinrō Kansha no Hi) |
| Observed by | Japan |
| Type | Public |
| Significance | Commemorates labor and production and giving one another thanks; formerly a harvest festival |
| Celebrations | School children prepare cards or gifts for people in the labor sector to show appreciation. Companies review their accomplishments and congratulate their workers for their dedication. |
| Date | November 23 |
| Next time | 23 November 2025 |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to | Niiname-no-Matsuri |
Labor Thanksgiving Day (勤労感謝の日, Kinrō Kansha no Hi) is an annual public holiday in Japan celebrated on November 23 of each year, unless that day falls on a Sunday, in which case the holiday is moved to Monday. The law establishing the holiday cites it as an occasion to respect labor, to celebrate production, and citizens give each other thanks.
Events are held throughout Japan, one such being the Nagano Ebisuko Fireworks Festival (長野えびす講煙火大会), which had 400,000 attendees in 2017.
History
Labor Thanksgiving Day is the modern name for an ancient harvest festival known as Niiname-sai (新嘗祭, also read as Shinjō-sai), celebrating the harvest of the Five Cereals. The classical chronicle the Nihon Shoki mentions a harvest ritual having taken place during the reign of the legendary Emperor Jimmu (660–585 BC), as well as more formalized harvest celebrations during the reign of Emperor Seinei (480–484 AD). Modern scholars can date the basic forms of niiname-sai to the time of Emperor Tenmu (667–686 AD). Traditionally, it celebrated the year's hard work; during the Niiname-sai ceremony, the Emperor would dedicate the year's harvest to kami (spirits), and taste the rice for the first time.
The modern holiday was established after World War II in 1948 as a day to mark some of the changes of the postwar Constitution of Japan, including fundamental human rights and the expansion of worker's rights. Currently, Niiname-sai is still held privately by the Imperial House of Japan on the same day as Labor Thanksgiving Day, which has become a public national holiday.
May 1 is also celebrated as Labor Day by many trade unions in Japan, which hold large rallies and marches in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya.
Celebration
On this day, school children prepare cards or gifts to distribute to police officers, firefighters, hospital staffs, personnel of the Japan Self-Defense Force and the Japan Coast Guard and other people in the labor sector to show appreciation for their contributions to the country. Companies review their accomplishments and congratulate their workers for their dedication. Families get together and have dinner at home on this holiday. In addition, individuals themselves are encouraged to relax and take care of themselves.
See also
In Spanish: Kinrō Kansha no Hi para niños
