Christmas
Christmas in Japan is a treat for children and couples, not a day off. This lesson gives you the words for ordering the cake and chicken, talking about Santa and presents, and making plans for Christmas Eve. Tap to hear any line. The bar at the bottom plays a hands-free drill for walking.
About this festival
Christmas isn't a public holiday in Japan: 24 and 25 December are normal working days unless they fall at a weekend. Few people are Christian, so it's a fun, commercial season rather than a religious one. From November, streets and shopping centres put up winter lights, イルミネーション.
Christmas Eve matters more than Christmas Day. For couples it's a date night, a bit like Valentine's Day elsewhere. Families with children often eat fried chicken (many order it weeks ahead) and a クリスマスケーキ: a sponge cake with cream and strawberries, booked in advance from a cake shop or convenience store.
Santa, サンタさん, leaves presents for children, often by their pillow, , on the night of the 24th. Adults in the family don't always swap gifts. On the 26th the decorations come down and the shops switch straight to New Year.
25 Christmas words
Each card shows a word and a sentence you'd say at home or hear in a shop in December. Five reuse words from Everyday Japanese 1 and 2.
Christmas in Japan, day by day
What happens when, and the word that goes with it. The big night is the 24th.
| When | What happens | Word |
|---|
- Eve, not Day. The main celebration is the evening of the 24th. イブ on its own means Christmas Eve.
- Getting and giving. もらう is get and あげる is give: サンタさんにもらった (I got it from Santa). Everyday Japanese 4 covers them fully.
- You'll hear. メリークリスマス in shops and on TV. Friends sometimes say it, but it isn't a greeting you need for the neighbours.
Four patterns to use today
Say it in Japanese
Say each one out loud before you reveal the answer. Getting close counts.