Cat Day in Japan (22/02)

Every year on February 22, Japan celebrates Cat Day — is an unofficial holiday dedicated to one of the most popular pets.

Let's start with the fact that the word «two» sounds «ni» in Japanese. In some cases, one of which became the reason for the establishment of an informal Cat Day, «two» can be pronounced playfully — «nian». By chance or not, the Japanese believe that the cat meows nothing more than «nyang-nyang».

And then — everything is simple and logical. «Nyang-nyang-nyang» — is «two-two-two», and «two-two-two», respectively, — is the twenty-second day of the second month.

It was on February 22 that manufacturers of food for cats and other pets proposed celebrating Cat Day and began to actively promote this action.

In 1987, the Cat Day Executive Committee was established. Since then, activists have been calling on everyone — both those who already have this furry animal and those who have not yet acquired it — to learn more about cats, their habits and favorite delicacies.

Cats are believed to have entered Japan from China around the 6th century AD (during the Nara period). The distant ancestors of today's cats were taken to the ship « for service» to protect sacred Buddhist books transported from China to Japan from mice.

During the Heian period (794—1192), the cat begins to be depicted in paintings and books. Subsequently, over the centuries, cats spread throughout Japan and evolved, resulting in the famous Japanese cat breed — Japanese Bobtail — with a round muzzle and a short tail.

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