Parallel Worlds One Week Apart?

Never mind on which continent or island you are, the end of the old and the start of a new year is reason for joyful celebration.

There is a certain similarity as to how the coming season is celebrated in both Germany and Japan.

Here is my attempt at explaining the parallel worlds in verbal terms:

🎅 Christmas / 🎌 New Year
are important events in both Germany and Japan and celebrated on three consecutive days.

For the holidays, it is customary to send a
🖋 Christmas card / 🖌 New Year greeting card

During the holidays, people often visit a
⛪ church / ⛩ shrine or temple.

Festive decorations include
🎄 Christmas tree / 🎍 Gate Pines (kadomatsu)
as fir and pine trees are evergreen and considered symbols of vitality (DE) and a long life (JP).

Children are given 🎁 Christmas gifts / 🧧 New Year cash gifts (otoshidama).

The holiday season ends after 14 to 15 days at Epiphany / Little New Year (ko-shogatsu). Christmas / New Year‘s decorations are removed only then.

As a Japanese resident in Germany, I am happy to take in the holiday spirit of both cultural worlds 😉

Year End Holidays: 24 Dec. 2021 - 3 January 2022

As of 4 January 2022, I am looking forward to being of service to you again.
Happy Holidays everyone!

#culturalcomparison  #japan #germany #newyear #christmas  #yearendholidays