Olivia, Writing from Hiroshima 😃
Wishing all readers who celebrate Lunar New Year, a Happy Lunar New Year 2023 新年快樂 春節快樂 This year it falls on 22 January. (It was yesterday)
Lunar New Year is celebrated for 15-day long. The 15th day marks the first full moon after the Spring Festival and of the New Year. It is also known as 元宵節 (yuán xiāo jié) meaning “first night of the full moon”. The day is as well known as Lantern Festival day. (description from Google search) So the greetings normally stops at the 15th day, to change into 元宵節快樂 （yuán xiāo jié Kuàilè ）🏮
We celebrated New Year (お正月) this year. I did not really count the days from the first day. So when I returned to work on January 12, met my colleagues, I still said 明けましておめでとうございます (Happy New Year) to my Japanese colleagues, as it was first day for me to see them at work this year. I have a feeling that even if I returned to work on the 16th, and if it was first time for me to see my colleagues, I would have had said 明けましておめでとうございます to people whom I saw at first time at work that year. The terms “今年も宜しくお願いします” has some weights too to start a new year working together in Japan. Oshōgatsu has its own length of days to celebrate. It seems to be celebrated at different lengths of days in different areas in Japan. It would be an interesting conversation topic to talk about when I see my Japanese friend 🙂
Happy Lunar Year 2023 🍊🍊