祝 - We See the Priest at the Altar, and then CELEBRATE

Readings & Meanings:

いわ（う）

シュク

シュウ

celebrate

Common Usage:

祝日

お祝い

Examples:

垂れ幕には「祝卒業！」と書いてあった。

今度の祝日には何をしますか？　

お誕生日のお祝いに図書券をもらった。

Translations:

Someone wrote "Graduation Celebration!" on the curtains in front.

What are you going to do this holiday?

He received a bookstore gift certificate at his birthday celebration.

Radical:

Again, we've got the "god" radical, Shimesu. Look at our 祈 post for more on that.

Next to the altar radical on the left, we see 兄, the elder brother kanji! 兄 derives from a kneeling figure pictogram (a kneeling figure with a huuuuge head).

Let's not take the 兄 kanji literally as "brother" this time. Let's think of it as an elder, a superior or elevated person, higher-up than us. A priest works well.

In a ceremony, a priest kneels (兄) at an altar (礻). And a ceremony is often cause for a celebration (祝).

References:

http://www.kanjinetworks.com/tnetwork/TOK.html#TOK08
http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/u.htm