Marine Day

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Marine Day (海の日, Umi no hi^?), also known as 'Ocean Day', is a Japanese national holiday celebrated on the third Monday in July. Many people take advantage of the holiday and summer weather to take a beach trip. As it is a modern secular holiday, there are no traditional ceremonies associated with the day.海の日

[edit] History

The law established this national holiday as a day of gratitude for the blessings of the oceans and for hoping for the prosperity of the maritime nation that is Japan. Prior to 1996, it was known as Marine Memorial Day, and was not a holiday. In 1996, it became a national holiday, with its date fixed as July 20. An amendment to the law made it, as of 2003, the Monday holiday it now is.

Marine Day was declared a national holiday in 1995. First observed on July 20, 1996, the Happy Monday System (ハッピーマンデー制度, Happī Mandē Seido^?) legislation moved the date from July 20 to the third Monday of July from 2003.