Encouraged by commerce, the secular celebration of Christmas is popular in Japan, though Christmas is not a national holiday.
Gifts are sometimes exchanged.[15]
Christmas parties are held around Christmas Day; Japanese Christmas cake,
a white sponge cake covered with cream and decorated with strawberries,
is often consumed.
Christmas lights decorate cities, and Christmas
trees adorn living areas and malls.[15]
Christmas Eve has become a holiday for couples to spend time together[15] and exchange gifts.
A successful advertising campaign in the 1970s made eating at KFC
around Christmas a national custom. Its chicken meals are so popular
during the season that stores take reservations months in advance.[16]
The first recorded Christmas in Japan was a Mass held by Jesuit missionaries in Yamaguchi Prefecture in 1552.
The birthday of the current emperor, Akihito, on December 23 is a national holiday.
No comments:
Post a Comment