City go san

It should be borne in mind that determining the age according to the traditional Japanese calendar differs from that adopted in the West. To get the western age from these numbers, as a rule, one should be taken away, since according to the traditional Japanese system for determining the age of kazoedoshi , the gestational age was counted for one year of life. ^[1] Thus, the holiday was held for children who actually turned 2, 4 and 6 years old. At present, the system of calculating the age of mannenrai (from the date of birth) is also common, which brings dating in accordance with Western tradition.

The holiday arose during the Heian period , it was celebrated by noble houses when their children passed into adolescence. The numbers three, five and seven, as odd, according to Japanese numerology, are considered lucky. The date of the celebration (November 15) was set during the Kamakura period .

The holiday was due to high infant mortality in Japan at that time. Therefore, important critical temporary milestones, after the passage of which the child's chances of surviving and reaching adulthood, were increasingly enhanced. Up to the age of seven, the child was not considered to be wholly belonging to the world of the living, which was reflected in the traditional expression “Until the age of seven, among the Kami (gods)”. ^[one]

Over time, the tradition of celebration passed to the samurai, who added several new rites. Children under the age of three, according to custom, should only walk with their heads shaved cleanly. The boys were put on a hakama for the first time at five years old, and the seven-year-old girls were tied in a traditional obi on a kimono , instead of the rope they had previously worn. During the Meiji period, the practice of celebration was adopted by commoners, which included visiting the temple to get rid of a bad mood and asking for a long life and health.

The tradition has changed little since the Meiji period. Children now don’t have to go bald until this age, but on the day of City-san, makeup is traditionally applied and a hairstyle is laid. ^[2] Three-year-old girls now wear a hifu (a kind of vest) along with a kimono. Also sometimes children dress formally according to the western style. With the development of photographic equipment, this day is now known as the day of photographing children.

Preparation of holiday attributes twice, with an interval of two to four years, is quite expensive and expensive for parents. So, the cost of children's clothing for the ceremony at 2008 prices reached about 100 thousand yen , so basically all the necessary accessories are rented, which allows you to completely meet about 50 thousand yen. ^[2]

This is a very important stage of growing up a child, this holiday elevates the child to a "little man" ("little woman").

On this holiday, children are presented with titose ame ( 千 歳 飴 , lit. “millennial sweets”) . They are long, thin red-white ^[3] sweets that symbolize healthy growth and long life. On a paper wrapper of candy is depicted tsuru-kame - literally “crane and turtle” (symbols of longevity and wisdom, respectively) and shikikubai - “pine, bamboo and plum” (symbols of health and endurance). ^[2] This sweet is very popular among children.

The features of the home table on this day are sekihan - rice with azuki beans and whole fried fish. ^[2]

• Hatsu-miya-mairi is a Shinto ritual for babies.
• Yakudoshi is a Japanese tradition of three "unlucky years" for adults.

• City-go-san at komi.com (with photos)
• Shichigosan on the Encyclopedia of Shinto
• Shichi-go-san on GoJapanGo