The king held a grand banquet for his vassals.
After the wedding ceremony, a grand banquet was held.
On a spring night, we enjoyed a feast under the cherry blossoms.
The villagers held a feast to celebrate the good harvest.
At the banquet, he began telling stories of the old days.
As dawn broke, the feast finally came to an end.
酒宴 specifically emphasizes drinking as the main activity, whereas 宴 is broader and can include feasting or celebration in general.
祝宴 is a banquet held specifically to celebrate something, while 宴 is a more general term for any festive gathering.
宴 is a native Japanese word for a feast, often poetic or traditional in tone, whereas 饗宴 sounds more formal and Sino-Japanese.
witches' sabbath; black sabbath
Standard kanji form for the common reading うたげ.
Kana spelling is sometimes used, especially in literary or poetic contexts.
Rarely used kanji form; learners should use 宴.
The kanji 宴 means 'banquet' or 'feast'. The reading うたげ is a native Japanese word, while えん is the Sino-Japanese on-reading. The exact origin of うたげ is uncertain, but it may be related to 歌 (うた, song) and 酒 (さけ, sake), suggesting a gathering with singing and drinking.