ABSTRACT
The greatest holiday of the nation is the New Year. In every household unusual preparations are made to celebrate the holiday in the most joyful manner, and business is suspended so far as possible during the period. Special food is eaten at New Year and the first meal on New Year’s day is a great event. Besides the food mentioned, a special drink, O-toso, is served and drunk at this time in the belief that it possesses a preventative power against sickness in general. Parents who are able to do so buy new sets of dolls for a girl baby born since the preceding festival, and relatives and friends make gifts of dolls. Annually, on April 8th, the birthday of Shakamuni the founder of Buddhism, is celebrated throughout Japan. The Shichi-go-san, said to be over 400 years old, held yearly on November 15, is a pretty festival. The party, consisting of relatives and friends, forms a procession to the shrine.
