歳暮

プログレッシブ和英中辞典(第4版)

せいぼ【歳暮】

((send)) a year-end present

説明
Seibo is the yearend gift-giving season, and may also refer to the gifts themselves. At the end of the year, it is the custom to give gifts to people with whom one has a relationship, such as relatives, bosses, customers and friends. Each gift expresses appreciation for the help received during the past year and acknowledges a continuing relationship, although it cannot be denied that the practice has become a formalized one. There is one other similar gift-giving season called chugen, which falls in the summer.（意訳：年の暮れに贈り物をすること．またはその贈り物を指す．親戚，上司，取引先，友人などに贈ることで１年間お世話になったことを感謝し，翌年も引き続きよろしくというあいさつを込めたものである．しかし，一種の儀礼的行事となっている感も否めない．また夏にも中元という同様な贈答の慣習がある）

出典　小学館「プログレッシブ和英中辞典(第4版)」