14: Labour Thanksgiving Day ( November 23rd )
Labour Thanksgiving Day (勤労感謝の日, Kinro Kansha no Hi) is celebrated on November 23rd. The holiday was established in 1948 as a day for citizens to express gratitude to each other for work done throughout the year and for the result of those labours.
Labour Thanksgiving Day is actually a modern name for an ancient rice harvest festival known as Niinamesai (新嘗祭). According to the Nihon Shoki (日本書紀, The Chronicle of Japan) - one of the oldest histories of Japan - the history of Niinamesai goes back to November 678. However, in general the origin of the ritual is believed to be even much older, dating back to the time when rice cultivation was first transmitted to Japan, more than 2,000 years ago. In the Meiji era Niinamesai was be held on November 23rd and it became a nationally celebrated event. It is tradition on Niinamesai that the Emperor makes the season’s first offering of harvested rice to the gods and then tastes it himself.
After the World War II, in 1948, Labour Thanksgiving Day was established as a day to mark some of the changes of the post-war Constitution of Japan, including fundamental human rights and the expansion of workers rights.
In present time, Labour Thanksgiving Day has become a national holiday, while Niinamesai is celebrated as a private ritual by the Imperial Family.
