New years day in Japan

New Year Holidays in Japan are called “Shogatsu”. Shogatsu originally refers to the first month of the year, which is, January. It normally refers to the period of January 1 and January 3rd (Sometimes January 7th). January 1st has a special meaning and it is called “Ganjitsu” meaning the very first day and like elsewhere in the world it is a national holiday. In Japan the period between December 28 to January 3rd is the new year holidays. Government institutes, private companies and factories are all closed. Therefore, it is relatively a long holiday. During this period, families get together to celebrate the new year and pray for the luck of the year. According to the traditional calendar in Japan, shogastu was in the beginning of February and people celebrated New Year in February. In some parts of Japan such as Okinawa, they celebrate the new year in February.