KEIRO NO HI: THE ELDERLY PEOPLE'S PARTY IN JAPAN

In Japan, Keiro No Hi (敬老の日) is celebrated on the third Monday of September every year: with the literal meaning of "Day of Respect for the Elderly", this anniversary, established as a national holiday over 50 years ago, honors the elderly people and expresses gratitude and appreciation towards them for their contribution to the development of Japanese society.

Walking through the streets of Tokyo © Mylene Larnaud

The origin of Keiro No Hi dates back to 1947 , when in the village of Nomadani-Mura, corresponding to today's city of Taka, a party was organized by the mayor of the time Masao Kadowaki in honor of the local elderly. The mayor's goal was to encourage young people to take example from people with more experience, to build a solid and better future for the whole society and the nation. The following year the celebration was repeated and the same thing was repeated in the years to come, gaining popularity over time with the name Toshoyori No Hi, or "older people's day".

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Elderly lady at Sendai Miyagi market © Beth Macdonald

In 1966 this anniversary was made official at a national level with the custom of celebrating it on September 15th of each year, as was customary in previous years; only in 2003 was the official date of celebration moved to the third Monday of September, changing its name to Keiro No Hi. The choice to set this event on Monday, together with the dates of many other important Japanese holidays, is due to the simple fact that workers thus have the possibility of extending their weekend: this reorganization is known as the Happy Monday System .

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Elderly couple in Kyoto © Joey Huang

Although it is a relatively recent holiday, the custom of respecting and honoring the elderly has always been a fundamental component of Japanese culture . On the occasion of this day we take the opportunity to create a moment of exchange and discussion in which older people can instill their wisdom and pass on their experiences to the younger generations.
Many groups of young people organize volunteer activities for their neighbourhoods, in nursing homes and hospitals, in order to take care of citizens and the elderly who are alone: bentos, trays divided into compartments, are distributed free of charge to those in difficulty. of which contains different foods. There is no shortage of events and shows of various kinds: they range from television programs and documentary films to live music concerts, from conferences relating to health and well-being to theatrical shows staged by Japanese school children. Each person freely expresses their gratitude.

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Elderly man cycling through the streets of Tokyo © Beth Macdonald

But Keiro No Hi is also a celebration of people's longevity. Japan is in fact the first country in the world to have the highest life expectancy : just think that in November 2020 there were more than 80,000 centenarians and by 2060 more than 40% of the population will be over 65!