November or Shimozuki

Shimozuki, the foggy month clearly defines what November is all about. The weather remains unpredictable. That is why; less people plan anything for this month. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any National Holidays (Bank Holidays) or events in November.

In fact, we have two National Holidays: 11/03 "Day of Culture" (文化の日) and 11/23 "Labour's Day" (勤労感謝の日).

And one of the main events in November is 11/15 "Shichi-Go-San" (七五三) (literally shichi =7, go = 5, san =3). It’s a traditional event dated long ago where children would go to the shrine and pray for their health. Girls at the age of 3 and 7, and boys at the age of 3 and 5 usually go.

But for the most, they would celebrate Koyo, the autumn leaves. It’s probably equivalent to Sakura in spring. Koyo usually last a few days only when the leaves change its colour to red, yellow or sometimes purple. After that, they fall – it’s a sign that winter is around the corner.

Tsukimi 月見 = moon viewing

Otsukumi as it is commonly called, is closely related to the Chinese Mid-Autumn festival, where people celebrate the viewing of the moon. It falls on 3rd October this year as it is believed to be as its brightest. J-peeps celebrate this by having some tsukimi dango (Japanese dumplings) served with sake as well as some autumn seasonal harvest like sweet potatoes and chestnuts. Experts believed it to have started in the Heian era 平安時代, Heian jidai (between 794-1185), where the aristocrats would celebrate the viewing while reciting some poetry.