Labour Thanksgiving Day
A day to praise labor, celebrate production, and thank one another
Kinro Kansha no Hi (Labour Thanksgiving Day) is a national holiday celebrated on November 23rd. Its purpose is "to praise labor, celebrate production, and thank one another."
Origins in the Niiname-sai Harvest Festival
While the modern name sounds similar to the American Thanksgiving or Labor Day, the holiday has deep roots in ancient Japanese tradition. It is derived from Niiname-sai, a major Shinto harvest festival. During Niiname-sai, the Emperor dedicates the year's first harvest of rice and crops to the deities and tastes them himself, expressing gratitude for the bounty.
After World War II, to separate state and religion under the new constitution, the holiday was renamed. The modern holiday extends the concept of harvest gratitude to acknowledge and appreciate all forms of labor and production that sustain society.