Cultural festival (Japan)
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Cultural festivals (文化祭, Bunkasai) in Japan are annual
Definition
According to the
The cultural festivals are parts of regular lessons in
Traditionally, most schools hold festivals on or around Culture Day (November 3), a Japanese national holiday.[5] Normally it is held on a Saturday or Sunday; sometimes even both.
Name
"Cultural festival" (bunkasai) and "university festival" (daigaku-sai) are common nouns in Japanese, so particular names of cultural festivals depend on each school. For example, the festival at the University of Tokyo, Komaba Campus is named Komaba-sai.[6]
Names
School | English name | Japanese name |
---|---|---|
Nursery school | Daily life exhibition | Seikatsu-happyō-kai (生活発表会) |
Kindergarten | Daily life exhibition | Seikatsu-happyō-kai (生活発表会) |
Elementary school | Literary arts exhibition Learning exhibition |
Gakugei-kai (学芸会) Gakushū-happyō-kai (学習発表会) |
Junior high school | Cultural festival | Bunka-sai (文化祭) |
High school | Cultural festival | Bunka-sai (文化祭) |
University | University festival | Daigaku-sai (大学祭), Gakuen-sai (学園祭) |
Variations
The school festivals of junior high schools and high schools may also sometimes be called gakuensai (学園祭), gakuinsai (学院祭), or gakkōsai (学校祭).
Function
Festivals are held to display the students' learning, but many people visit a festival as a recreational diversion. Alumni often take the opportunity to visit schools they once attended. Food is served, and often classrooms or gymnasiums are transformed into temporary restaurants or cafés. Dances, concerts and plays may be performed by individual volunteers or by various school clubs, such as the dance club, the literature club, the orchestra club, the band club, and the drama club.
Cultural festivals are intended to be a fun event, but are also the only opportunity each year for students to see what life is like in other schools. They are also intended to enrich people's lives by increasing social interaction and fostering community ties.
Cultural depictions
Cultural festivals are frequently depicted in anime and manga. For example, the climax of A Silent Voice (2016) takes place at the bunkasai.
See also
References
- ISBN 978-0-520-04863-8. Retrieved 2009-01-28.
- ^ 小学校学習指導要領 第4章 特別活動(Curriculum guideline of Elementary School Chapter 4: Special activity) Archived 2010-10-08 at the Wayback Machine (in Japanese)
- ^ 中学校学習指導要領 第4章 特別活動(Curriculum guideline of Lower Secondary School Chapter 4: Special activity) Archived 2011-05-20 at the Wayback Machine (in Japanese)
- ^ 高等学校学習指導要領 第4章 特別活動(Curriculum guideline of High school Chapter 4: Special activity) Archived 2010-07-10 at the Wayback Machine (in Japanese)
- ^ "School life 学校生活". A Taste of Languages at School (ATLAS). University College London. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
- ^ "Komaba Festival - Student Support - The University of Tokyo, Komaba". www.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
External links
- Media related to School festivals in Japan at Wikimedia Commons