Rokuyou

While it can easily be disregarded as old folk superstition, Rokuyou is an important part of planning Japanese events and ceremony that crops up whenever wedding or funeral dates must be set.  At least, it will if grandma has anything to do with it!

At the end of the Edo period, a system of predicting a day's fortune began to become popular.  This cycle of six days can still be found printed in some calendars, and even has an impact on some Japanese businesses.  The six days are as follows:

Senshou - A day of good luck before noon, and bad luck after noon.  This is considered a good day for beginning things... assuming you're not a late sleeper, that is!  Also known as Sakigachi or Senkachi.
Tomobiki - A day that is considered lucky all day, except for at noon.  The name of this day translates to 'friend pulling', which can have good and bad consequences...
Senbu - The opposite of Senshou, in that it's bad luck in the morning and good luck after noon.  Also known as Sakimake or Senmake.
Butsumetsu - The most unlucky day, because it's considered to be the day that Buddha died.  Some Shinto shrines even close their doors on this day.
Taian - The most lucky of days, called 'The Day of Great Peace', ideal for ceremonies.
Shakkou - The traditional 'Hour of the Horse' from 11am to 1pm is considered lucky, while the rest of the day is unlucky.  Also known as Shakku or Jakkou.

One might wonder how a system of six days works, when the majority of the world (including Japan) embraces a system of seven days.  Sadly, the Japanese have not found a way to eliminate dreaded Mondays, or even boring Wednesdays, but instead the Rokuyou exists alongside the days of the week, running on a separate cycle.

January 1st is always Senshou, regardless of what day December 31st was.  Thus, January 2nd becomes Tomobiki, January 3rd is Senbu, January 4th is Butsumetsu, and so on.  The first day of of February is always Tomobiki, and the cycle resumes from there with February 2nd being Senbu.  January and July always begin with Senshou, February and August always begin with Tomobiki, March and September always begin with Senbu, April and October always begin with Butsumetsu, May and November always begin with Taian, and lastly June and December always begin with Shakkou.

While these superstitious days may sound ridiculous, many Japanese take a "better safe than sorry" approach to Rokuyou even if they don't believe in it themselves.  Wedding planning and venue companies find that Taian days are their most heavily booked, and because the marriage market is currently shrinking, some companies offer large discounts to couples who are willing to book their wedding on Butsumetsu days.  Tomobiki is also a popular day because of its "friend pulling" name, with the suggestion that attendees of the wedding will soon find themselves getting married.

One might think that placing a funeral on a lucky day would be the ideal way of showing best wishes for a lost loved one.  However, Tomobiki is considered the worst day possible for funerals, because some believe that the "friend pulling" aspect may pull the funeral's attendees into early deaths.  If there is no choice but to hold a funeral on Tomobiki, the truly superstitious may instead have a doll placed in the coffin rather than their loved one.  While any other day is suitable, Butsumetsu may be considered a comfort for its relation to the death of Buddha.

What about the births of children?  Something so random that no one could plan has never been considered important, with many people putting more emphasis on the year that a child is born.  However, in this age with the option of induced labor and routine cesarean sections, some mothers take the Rokuyou into account when planning the day of their child's birth.  While Taian may seem like the obvious choice, some clever parents select unlucky days like Butsumetsu, believing that the hospital will be less crowded then and doctors will be able to give them and their child more undivided attention.

Rokuyou has worked its way into many other parts of life.  It's not uncommon to find people who would rather perform surgery on themselves than have their surgery booked on Butsumetsu!  Taian days are popular for many Japanese businesses to bring about changes or sign contacts.

Most Americans draw the line at Friday the 13th, which is a superstition that the Japanese also share.  A Friday the 13th that falls on a Butsumetsu is a terrible day.  The most superstitious Japanese also have an aversion to the number four, because when read in Japanese as 'shi', it sounds like the Japanese word for death.  April 4th is an extremely unlucky day.  It's a good thing 4/4 never falls on Butsumetsu, everyone would stay home and call in sick...