In Okinawa, a unique culture is still thriving alongside its beautiful natural environment. Indispensable to this culture is the lunar calendar.
Because agriculture and fishing are influenced by the phases of the moon, the lunar calendar has long been used as an integral part of daily life. Today, many traditional events and festivals are still celebrated based on its cycles.
The “Old Calendar” (Kyūreki): A Calendar Based on the Phases of the Moon
The lunar calendar is a calendar based on the phases of the moon. Unlike the widely used solar calendar (a calendar based on the sun’s movement), it is said to allow for a more detailed sense of the changing seasons.
Its two main characteristics are:
The new moon marks the beginning of the month.
The lunar calendar is a calendar based on the phases of the moon.
Specifically, the day of a new moon marks the first day of the month. You then count the days sequentially until the next new moon, which marks the first day of the following month.
The calendar and the seasons gradually fall out of sync..
A year on the lunar calendar is about 354 days long, which is 12 months based on the moon’s cycles (about 29.5 days from new moon to new moon).
However, since the lunar calendar is about 11 days shorter than the solar calendar (which is based on the sun’s movement), a gradual discrepancy with the seasons occurs. When this seasonal drift became significant—around a full month—an intercalary month (urū-zuki) was inserted to correct the calendar.
A List of Major Okinawan Lunar Calendar Events
Now, we will introduce Okinawa’s major traditional events along with their lunar calendar dates.
Note: The table can be scrolled to the right.
Traditional Events in the First Lunar Month
| Lunar Calendar Date | Event | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | New Year’s Day (Sōgwachi) | The lunar New Year. In the morning, wakamizu (young water) is offered to gods and ancestors. |
| 2nd~5th | First Work (Hachi-ukushi) | The first day of work. People pray for a good harvest and a bountiful catch. |
| 4th | Welcoming the Fire God (Hinukan Unkei) | The day the Fire God (Hinukan) returns to the human world from heaven. |
| 7th | Seventh Day Festival (Nan-ka nu Suku) | People offer and eat vegetable porridge (nā-jūshī) to gods and ancestors. |
| 2nd~13th | Tushibi Celebration (Tushibi) | A celebration for a year with the same zodiac sign as one’s birth year, and prayers for good health. |
| 16th | Jūrokunichī Festival (Jūrokunichī) | The New Year of the afterlife. People visit graves and perform rites to honor their ancestors. |
| 20th | Twentieth Day New Year (Hachika Sōgwachi) | The official end of the New Year’s period. New Year’s decorations are put away by this day. |
Traditional Events in the Second Lunar Month
| Lunar Date | Event | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Early Month | Village Purification (Simakusarashi) | A village-wide ritual to ward off evil. Barriers are set up to repel evil spirits (yanamun). |
| 15th | February Umachī (Nigwachi Umachī) | A festival to pray for a good harvest and show gratitude. |
| Auspicious Day | Spring Equinox (Haru no Higan) | A Buddhist event to honor ancestors. Google スプレッドシートにエクスポート |
Traditional Events in the Third Lunar Month
| Lunar Date | Event | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd | Going Down to the Beach (Hama-uri) | A ritual where women purify themselves at the beach and pray for good health. |
| 15th | March Umachī (Sangwachi Umachī) | A festival for the barley harvest. |
| Auspicious Day | Tomb-Sweeping Festival (Shīmī) | An ancestor worship ritual where relatives gather at the family tomb to offer food and incense before sharing a celebratory meal together. |
Traditional Events in the Fourth Lunar Month
| Lunar Date | Event | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Auspicious Day | Pest Extermination Ritual (Abushibarē) | A ritual to protect fields from harmful insects. A boat with effigies of insects is floated out to sea to pray for a good harvest. |
Traditional Events in the Fifth Lunar Month
| Lunar Date | Event | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 4th | Four-Day Festival (Yukkanu Hī) | A prayer for a good fishing season through the holding of a haarii (boat race). |
| 5th | Fifth Month Fifth Day (Gungwachi Gunichi) | Sweet sweets are offered to the family altar and then eaten, as a prayer for good health and to ward off evil. |
| 15th | May Umachī (Gungwachi Umachī) | A festival for the first rice harvest. In some regions, this is the only Umachī that is still celebrated. |
Traditional Events in the Sixth Lunar Month
| Lunar Date | Event | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 15th | June Umachī (Rukugwachi Umachī) | A festival for the rice harvest. Some regions hold tug-of-war events on this day. |
| 25th | June Kashichī (Rukugwachi Kashichī) | Steamed glutinous rice (kashichī) is made with new rice and offered to the Fire God and the family altar to celebrate the harvest. |
Traditional Events in the Seventh Lunar Month
| Lunar Date | Event | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 7th | Tanabata | People clean graves to prepare for the Obon Festival and air out their clothes to prevent insects. |
| 13th | Welcoming Ancestral Spirits (Unkē) | Starting in the evening, bonfires are lit to welcome ancestors returning to the human world. |
| 14th | Middle Day (Naka nu Hī) | Family members visit the main family home to worship the ancestral tablets and spend time with ancestors. |
| 15th | Sending Off Ancestral Spirits (U-kui) | The Eisa dance is performed to see off ancestors as they return to the afterlife. |
Traditional Events in the Eighth Lunar Month
| Lunar Date | Event | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 8th | Tōkachi | A celebration for someone’s 88th birthday. |
| 10th | August Kashichī (Hachigwachi Kashichī) | Steamed glutinous rice with red beans (akakashichī) is offered to the Fire God and the family altar. |
| Around 8th-15th | Spirit Day (Yōkabī) | A ritual to ward off evil spirits (yanamun) who have failed to return to the afterlife. |
| For two weeks from around the 10th | Shibasashi | Charms made of Japanese pampas grass and mulberry leaves are placed in and around the home to create a protective barrier. |
| 15th | Harvest Moon Festival (Jūgūya) | Fuchagi (a mochi with red beans) is offered to the Fire God and the family altar in a ritual to worship the moon. |
| Auspicious Day | Autumn Equinox (Aki no Higan) | A Buddhist event to honor ancestors. Google スプレッドシートにエクスポート |
Traditional Events in the Ninth Lunar Month
| Lunar Date | Event | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 7th | Kajimayā Celebration (Kajimayā Iwai) | 97歳の長寿祝い。 |
| 9th | Chrysanthemum Sake (Chiku-zaki) | 菊の葉を浮かべた酒を仏壇や火の神（ヒヌカン）に供え、無病息災を祈願する。 |
Traditional Events in the Tenth Lunar Month
| Lunar Date | Event | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Stove Ritual (Kama-māi) | A ritual to prevent fires in the village. |
Traditional Events in the Eleventh Lunar Month
| Lunar Date | Event | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Winter Solstice Day | Winter Solstice (Tunjī) | Tunjī jūshī (rice porridge) is offered to the Fire God and the family altar and then eaten. |
Traditional Events in the Twelfth Lunar Month
| Lunar Date | Event | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 8th | Mochi Festival (Mūchī) | A ritual to pray for good health. Mochi wrapped in a ginger-like leaf is offered and then eaten. |
| 24th | Farewell to the Fire God (Ugwansubutuchi) | The day the Fire God returns to heaven to report on the family’s year. People clean the area around the stove. |
| 29th | New Year’s Eve (Tushi nu Yūru) | The New Year’s Eve of the lunar calendar. |
