Labor Thanksgiving Day · Worksheet 1
From New Rice to Thank You
Read the story. 英文を読もう。
1On the night of November 23, a very old ceremony takes place inside the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. By the light of torches, the emperor offers the year's new rice to the gods. Then he eats some of it himself. This ceremony is called Niinamesai, and it is more than 1,000 years old.
2Long ago, the date changed every year. It was held on the second Day of the Rabbit in the eleventh month of the old calendar. In 1873, Japan started using a new calendar. That year, the second Day of the Rabbit in November was the 23rd, and the date never moved again.
3After World War II, Japan made new national holidays. Lawmakers talked a lot about a new name for November 23. Ideas included New Grain Festival and simply Thanks Day. But some said, thanks for what? In 1948, they chose Kinro Kansha no Hi, or Labor Thanksgiving Day. The law says it is a day to respect work, celebrate production, and thank each other.
4Today, many children write thank-you cards for police officers, firefighters, and their own parents. In Nagano, people enjoy a big fireworks show on this night. In Japan, people often say otsukaresama to each other after work. It is hard to translate, but it means something like thank you for your hard work.
5Some people compare this day to Thanksgiving in the United States. Both started with thanks for the harvest. In 2028, they will even fall on the same day, November 23. So this year, why not say thank you to someone who works for you?
- ceremony 儀式
- offer 供える、差し出す
- harvest 収穫
- grain 穀物
- calendar 暦、カレンダー
- labor 労働、勤労
- thanksgiving 感謝、感謝祭
- respect 大切にする、尊重する
- production 生産
- firefighter 消防士
- translate 翻訳する、訳す
- fireworks 花火