Shogatsu San ga Nichi (New Year’s Three Days)
Today is the last day of “shogatsu san ga nichi”.
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“Shogatsu san ga nichi” (which you can call simply “san ga nichi”) means the first three days of the new year — January 1 – 3.
正月三が日
For almost all Japanese companies excluding service and tourism industry, san ga nichi is holiday.
今日は、正月三が日の最後の日です。
During the san ga nichi, there are some things that you don’t should not to do.
正月三が日（もしくは単に「三が日」）は、1月1日、1月2日、1月3日の三日間を差します。
For example, they are cleaning, washing, and cooking.
サービス業や観光業を除く日本の企業は、三が日は正月休みとなります。
It is said that doing the cleaning or the washing on the san ga nichi will turn fuku no kami (the God of good fortune) out of your house.
この三が日の間は、「やってはいけないこと」が幾つかあります。
Also, it is said that cooking using fire on the san ga nichi will make the God of kitchen angry.
例えば、掃除や洗濯、料理です。
I think that these superstitions were made from the thought that people don’t want to work on the first three days of the new year.
正月に掃除や洗濯などをすると、福の神様を家から追い出してしまうと言われています。
