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...In particular, midyear and year-end gifts became increasingly popular after the war, with sales increasing sharply, especially at department stores, and a large-scale national gift-giving movement unlike any other in the world has taken place.
[Japan]
In Japan, in addition to temporary gifts given as a sign of apology, gratitude, request, or affection, there are many occasions for gift-giving that are repeated periodically every year, such as midyear gift-giving, year-end gift-giving, New Year's gift-giving, equinox gift-giving, seasonal gift-giving, gifts given on rites of passage such as birth, New Year's celebrations, marriage, and funerals, gifts given on occasions such as illness, fire, new construction, moving, and travel, and gifts given in return or as sharing gifts. In today's urbanized society, regular gift-giving, except for midyear gift-giving, year-end gift-giving, and New Year's gift-giving, has fallen out of use as a traditional Japanese custom, and instead new gifts such as Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, and Christmas have been introduced.

*Some of the terminology that refers to "return gifts" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…ことに中元と歳暮は戦後ますます盛んとなりデパートを中心にその売上げは急増し，世界に類をみない民族的大贈答運動が繰り広げられている。
［日本］
　日本には謝罪･感謝･依頼あるいは愛情のしるしとして一時的になされる贈物のほか，中元･歳暮をはじめ年始･彼岸･節供など毎年定期的に繰り返される贈答，出産･年祝･結婚･葬式といった通過儀礼の際や病気･火事･新築･引越し･旅行などの際の贈答，およびそのお返しやおすそ分けなど慣習化された贈答の機会がきわめて多い。定期的な贈答は今日の都市化した社会では中元･歳暮･年始を除くと日本古来のものは廃れ，代りにバレンタイン･デーや母の日，クリスマスなど新しいものがふえてきている。…

※「お返し」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報