February 11 is National Foundation Day, a national holiday for Japanese people to remind themselves of the nation’s founding and foster their love for the nation.
Japan switched from the traditional Japanese calendar – a lunar calendar based on the waxing and waning of the moon – to the Gregorian calendar starting in January 1873. It was at this time that the day of the enthronement of Emperor Jinmu, the first Japanese emperor, was made a national holiday and named Kigen-setsu. February 11 was determined as the day of enthronement by calculating the date in the solar calendar corresponding to the date recorded in the Nihon Shoki (The Chronicles of Japan), Japan’s first history compiled on imperial orders. (However, many historians believe that Emperor Jinmu’s enthronement, as described in the Nihon Shoki, was not a historical fact but folklore.)
It was believed that the National Foundation Day of Japan was based on the New Year festivity in which the calendar’s date relies on the moon phase and the solar year. The Japanese believes that Emperor Jimmu’s power and authority to become ruler of the empire was designated on the first day of the month. This significant moment of appointing Jimmu as emperor was declared by the people as a holiday and was named Kigen-setsu or the Empire Day.
And before 1872, the celebration of the Empire Day was assigned to a specific date (11th of February) listed according to the chronicles of Japan called Nihon Shoki (a collection compilation of Japan’s historical background) in reference to the solar calendar. During the Meiji period, the emperor acknowledged it as a national holiday and changed its name to National Foundation Day.
However after the World War II, the celebration of February 11th as a national holiday was eradicated due to some uncertain reasons. On 1966, because of the efforts of the people and their grief for the passing of the memorial, the National Foundation Day was re-established as a national holiday.
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