Since the late 16th century, banquets and parties have been held with similar intentions as the modern-day
bōnenkai. On the 30th of December, groups of samurai lords would gather to observe what they called "The Forgetting of the Year". It consisted of typical upper-class activities like writing and reciting poetry, and was followed by a large feast. These types of parties did not become commonplace in the regular populace of Japan until the abolishment of the feudal ruling system in the late 19th century. Around the same time period, a story written by Japanese author
Tsubouchi Shōyō entitled 忘年会 was published in a newspaper. It depicted one of these parties, which featured boisterous discussion, prolific drinking, and entertaining
Geishas. In
post-occupation Japan, the "lifetime employment systems" established by some companies incorporated many company-organized events, one usually being an end-of-the-year
Bōnenkai in December. ==See also==