Ennichi (, "related day") is a day believed to have a special relation (
en) with a particular Japanese deity. Often, it is a day when a
deity
A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...
is believed to have been born or left the world. In
Shinto, this day is encouraged to be embraced as it is in the "four affirmations" of their religious code. Japanese people generally think that visiting a temple or a shrine on these holy days related to
Kami and/or
Buddha will bring greater fortunes than on regular days. Therefore,
temples
A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
and
shrines
A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy sacred space, space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daem ...
often hold festivals. At such events, there are generally a large number of food stalls selling
Japanese food, such as ''
takoyaki
is a ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a wheat flour-based batter and cooked in a special molded pan. It is typically filled with minced or diced octopus
An octopus ( : octopuses or octopodes, see below for variants) is a soft-bod ...
'', ''
okonomiyaki'', grilled corn, and
cotton candy.
Festivals in Japan
Buddhist holidays
Buddhist festivals in Japan
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