Seasonal festivals (festivals) - SEKKU

Japanese: 節供(節句) - せっく

Days that make up annual events. These are important turning points that occur several times a year, and are basically days for divine festivals. People make offerings to the gods and sit in the seat of the deity, then eat the food together with the deity in an attempt to gain spiritual power. Local festivals, New Year's Day, and Obon can also be considered important seasonal festivals. In some regions, these days are considered special days, and are celebrated as Kayu-sekku on the 15th of the New Year, when red bean porridge is eaten, as Kariage-sekku on the day the rice harvest ends, and Shiba-sekku on the day the trees are cut down. The five seasonal festivals (five seasonal festivals) on the 7th of the New Year (Jinjitsu), March 3rd (Jōshi), May 5th (Tango), July 7th (Tanabata), and September 9th (Choyōyō) were introduced from China and became popular among the general public during the Edo period, but even today, some kind of divine festival meaning can be recognized in these festivals.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

年中行事を構成する日。年に何回かある重要な折りめのことで，基本的には神祭をする日である。迎えた神に神饌を供して侍座し，あとで神人共食することによってその霊力を身につけようとするもので，氏神祭や正月，盆も重要な節供といえよう。小豆粥を食べる正月15日を粥節供，稲刈り終了の日を刈上げ節供，年木伐りの日を柴節供などといって祝う地方があるのも，これらの日がハレの日と考えられているからである。正月7日(人日（じんじつ），3月3日(上巳（じようし）)，5月5日(端午（たんご）)，7月7日(七夕)，9月9日(重陽（ちようよう）)の五節供(五節句)は中国から伝えられ，江戸時代に民間に普及したものであるが，現在みるこれらにもなんらかの神祭の意味を認めることができる。

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

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