Ato no Matsuri (後の祭り - Too Late) Part 1

Ato no Matsuri Part 1

I often get into a situation called 'ato no matsuri' (後の祭り).

Since 'ato' (後) means "latter" and 'matsuri' (祭り) means "festival," the literal meaning of 'ato no matsuri' is "latter festival," but it actually means a situation where something is too late.

There are two major theories about its etymology.

One theory says that it comes from the Gion Festival in Kyoto.

The Gion Festival takes place throughout a month, and it consists of two parts: 'Saki-matsuri' (前祭 - "Pre-Festival") and 'Ato-matsuri' (後祭 - "Post-Festival").

Since the 'Ato-matsuri' is relatively low-key, it came to mean "too late" or "let a chance go by."

後の祭り Part 1

私はよく「後の祭り」と呼ばれる状況になります。

「後」は "latter"、「祭り」は "festival" を意味するので、「後の祭り」の文字どおりの意味は "festival" ですが、実際には「時機を逸して何かが手遅れになること」を意味します。

この言葉の語源には大きく二つの説があります。

一つは、京都の祇園祭から来ているという説です。

祇園祭は1ヶ月かけて行われる大きな祭りで、「前祭」と「後祭」の二部構成になっています。

しかしながら「後祭」は比較的地味であるため、「時機を逃した」や「手遅れ」の意味を持つようになったというわけです。

• Since 'ato' (後) means "latter" and 'matsuri' (祭り) means "festival," the literal meaning of 'ato no matsuri' is "latter festival," but it actually means a situation where something is too late.
• Since 'ato' (後) means "later" and 'matsuri' (祭り) means "festival," the literal meaning of 'ato no matsuri' is "later festival," but it actually means a situation where something is too late.

  Is it "Latter" or Later? These words mean two very different things!

• There are two major theories about its etymology.
• This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!

• The Gion Festival takes place throughout a month, and it consists of two parts: 'Saki-matsuri' (前祭 - "Pre-Festival") and 'Ato-matsuri' (後祭 - "Post-Festival").
• The Gion Festival is about a month long and it consists of two parts: 'Saki-matsuri' (前祭 - "Pre-Festival") and 'Ato-matsuri' (後祭 - "Post-Festival").

• Since the 'Ato-matsuri' is relatively low-key, it came to mean "too late" or "let a chance go by."
• This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!