68029
When 迎える is used in the sense of marking a special occasion or time, I have
trouble translating it to English.

I imagined that 迎える always means to "welcome" "receive" "greet". But it can
also take on a meaning of "celebrate", "commemorate" which is not mentioned in
the definition below.

[dictionary.goo.ne.jp](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/jn/214598/meaning/m1u/%E8%BF%8E%E3%81%88%E3%82%8B/)

[迎える] (確実にやってくる）ある時期や段階を目前にする。また、その時期や段階が訪れる。 ある時になる。

The definition only defines 迎える as "when it becomes a time, season, period"
but says nothing about "celebration" or "commemoration"

Looking at these examples:

> 新年を迎える。 **Greet** the New Year
>
> 20歳の誕生日を迎える **Reach** one's twentieth year／ **Celebrate** one's twentieth
> birthday
>
> 死を迎える。 **Approach** death
>
> １週年を迎える。 **Commemerate** the first anniversary
>
> (人）が楽しいクリスマスとよい新年を迎えられるよう祈る。 Wish someone a very happy Christmas and a most
> successful New Year (not sure how 迎える is translated here)

This sentence treats 迎える like 祝う

> みんなのおかげで素敵な誕生日を迎えられました。 Thanks to everyone, I could celebrate an amazing
> birthday.

I am confused as to when 迎える takes on the "become a time, season, period"
definition, and when it takes the "celebrate, commemorate" definition.

Can someone please explain in detail what 迎える means in these contexts?
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-05-03T12:17:22.703
67950
2019-05-06T10:38:37.960
27851
question
words definitions
What does 迎える translate to in this context?
While "to celebrate" is a valid translation depending on the context, the word
迎える itself doesn't have such a meaning, as you can see from the definitions of
the monolingual dictionary. 迎える can be safely used with undesirable events
such as 死 and 夏休みの終わり.

As for your last example, you can say "I had an amazing birthday" using plain
"have", and there is no loss in meaning. You can also think of よいクリスマスを迎える as
"to have a happy Christmas".
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-05-06T10:38:37.960
68029
2019-05-06T10:38:37.960
5010
67950
answer