Shichi-go-san

Shichi -go- san (Japanese七五 三, literally " seven- five - three ") is a festival for children in Japan, when they reach a certain age ( three and five for boys, three and seven for girls). It takes place on November 15th of each year and is celebrated throughout Japan, but especially in the Kantō region.

The children are (and often grandparents) accompanied to the Shinto shrine of Ujigami the family at the Shichi -go- san from their parents. The kids ( and often the older female relatives ) are dressed for the occasion (including kimono and hakama ) in their best traditional garb. At the shrine is then prayed out of gratitude for the previous fortune and future health and safety. In addition, it is customary to give children red and white candy canes named Chitose - ame (千 歳 饴; literally " thousand -year candy " ) to buy. This custom probably originated at the Kanda Myojin (神 田 明 神) in Chiyoda, or the Asakusa Shrine in Taitō.

The Shichi -go- san probably originated from the mixing of different rites of passage from the nobility and the samurai status that the crossing of the offspring of the age of the infant (幼 児and Yoji ) in which the child (児 童, Jido ) labeled. For centuries there was the Shichi -go- san next to a variety of such rites of passage (such as the mainly in the Kansai region committed, Buddhist JUSAN mairi (十三参り) ). Only since the Taishō period, developed the Shichi -go- san the most popular festival of its kind

November 15th is traditionally a auspicious day in the traditional Japanese calendar, but was only in the fifth Tokugawa shogun, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, firmly associated with the Shichi -go- san after this for his son, Tokugawa Tokumatsu (徳 川 徳 松, 1679 -1683 ), went ahead on that date appropriate rites.