| In November, one may see little children wearing Kimono walk on a street with a package of "Chitose-Ame (traditional long, narrow candies)" in their hands with their families. This heartwarming scene is from Japanese traditional event of November 15, "Shichi-go-san ( The seven-five-three festival)". In Japan, it is the custom for families to have boys of five, girls of seven and either boys or girls of three to celebrate the growth of the children on November 15. The parents dress the children in a gala clothe like kimono and the family goes to shrines to pray for their children's future. From ancient times, like the Chinese, we considered odd numbers 7, 5 and 3 lucky numbers. Meantime, "15" which is the aggregate number of 7, 5 and 3 is also considered lucky number. Therefore it is said that the date of "Shichi-go-san" had been fixed on November 15 since around the Edo period. It is said that the custom of "Shichi-go-san" began in the Muromachi era. Because infant mortality was high at that time, so children were registered in a sort of family register "Ninbetsucho" or "Ujikodaicho" only after they were three or four years old. That is considered the origin of Shichi-go-san. Following periods have began to form three types of major ceremonies, which became customary during the samurai society in the Edo era, and this tradition has spread out from the Kanto region to all over the country.  "The ceremony of Kamioki" for three -year-old boys, girls  In the Heian era, both boys and girls had had their heads shaved a week after birth. They had kept their heads shaved until they were three years old, and in first spring after their third birthdays they would begin to make their hair longer. At that time only after the ceremony of "Kamioki" have held and the children were allowed to make their hair longer. "Hakamagi-no-gi(the ceremony for putting hakama on)" for five-year-old
boys.  This is the ceremony for five-year-old boys to put hakama(Japanese traditional skirt for formal wear) on for the first time. "Obitoki no gi(the ceremony of Obitoki)" for seven-year-old girls.  It was the ceremony for seven-year-old girls to put first "obi" (a broad sash for kimono) instead of a string. Each ceremony had a meaning that "they have grown up that they are able do such things". Also it is meant to celebrate about children's growth. In recent years, on "Shichi-go-san", we visit a shrine or a temple to express our gratitude to the Deity for children's growth and also pray for children's future. This custom is spread all over the country. In our time it seems that a lot of families visit a shrine in a fair weather during weekends of November at their convenience. On that day many boys of the age wear hakama, many girls of the age wear kimono and they and their family have their studio portrait taken for their memory. When they visit a shrine, children get "Chitose-ame". This is a traditional long narrow candy that is made to wish children's long life and originally carried over from the Edo era. Nowadays it is indispensable treat in the scene of "Shichi-go-san". End |
