When it comes to ×£ÈÕ (shukujitsu, national holidays) in Japan, you¡¯ll find there¡¯s a bit of a drought in ÁùÔ (roku-gatsu, June). That¡¯s funny because June is also when ÷Óê (tsuyu, rainy season) occurs. Anyway, the closest we get to a holiday in June is ¸¸¤ÎÈÕ (chichi no hi, Father¡¯s Day) on the third Sunday of June, which is June 16 this year.
June 16 is historically known as ºÍÇ‘×Ó¤ÎÈÕ (wagashi no hi, Japanese Sweets Day), a designation that dates back to the year 848 when Emperor Ninmyo offered sweets and rice cakes to the gods in exchange for good health. The era of his reign would later be identified by three ÔªºÅ (²µ±ð²Ô²µ¨, era names), the latter of which was ¼ÎÏé (°ì²¹²õ³ó¨ [°ì²¹Âá¨], Kasho). It lasted from 848 until 851, the year after the emperor¡¯s death in 850.
¼ÎÏé has come to mean ¡°good omen¡± or ¡°auspicious sign,¡± ¤ª¤á¤Ç¤¿¤¤¤·¤ë¤· (omedetai shirushi) in Japanese, as well as being connected to ºÍÇ‘×Ó (wagashi, Japanese confectionery). And when we say ºÍÇ‘×Ó, we¡¯re not talking about chocolate ¡ª think ïž (mochi, rice cake) and С¶¹ (azuki, red beans) served with seasonal ¹ûÎï (kudamono, fruit).
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