Did you know that in Japan there are 3 holidays to celebrate Children’s Day? Each with a specific purpose? In this article, we will talk about the dates Kodomo no Hi, Shichigosan [753], and Hina Matsuri, and we will explore each of them.
Have you ever wondered what Children’s Day is in Japan? There are several festivities and dates involving children, one special date for boys and one for girls. How are these dates celebrated?
Table of Contents
Kodomo no Hi – Children’s Day – May 5
Kodomo no hi (子供の日) literally means Children’s Day, and this date occurs on May 5 during the Golden Week. On this day, carp streamers called koinobori are hung in gardens to symbolize strength and determination.
Families also display samurai dolls, armor, helmets, and other samurai weapons to represent the heroes Kintaro. In addition, other symbols such as Shoki, Momotaro, and Shobu are used.
According to Article 2 of the Holiday Law, the goal is “to respect the personality of children, to make children happy, and to thank mothers.” This day was established by the Holiday Law on July 20, 1948.
Also known as Tango no Sekku [端午の節句]. On this day, children eat chimaki, which are rice cakes wrapped in bamboo leaves, and kashiwa mochi. On this day, the song of the carp called Koinobori uta is sung.
Song of the Carp – Koinobori uta
Yane yori Takai koinobori.
Okii magoi otoosan wa.
Chisai higoi wa kodomotachi.
Omoshiro soni oyideru.
irakanano namito kumono nami
kasanarunamino nakazorawo
tachibanakaoru asakazeni
takaku oyoguya koinobori
hirakeruhiroki sonokuchini
funewo monoman samamiete
yutakani furuu obireniwa
mononi dousenu sugataari
Girls’ Day – Hina-matsuri
Girls’ Day occurs on March 3 and is called Hina Matsuri [雛祭り] or Hina no sekku. The day is remembered for the peach blossoms that symbolize a happy marriage and honor girls. This date emphasizes the bonds of marriage, prosperity, happiness, luck, and health for girls.
Hina Matsuri is traditionally marked by an exhibition of dolls, passed down from mother to daughter for generations. The dolls are arranged on an altar every year.
It usually consists of 15 dolls dressed in imperial court attire from the Heian Period (794-1192). According to Japanese belief, the dolls have the power to ward off evil spirits, diseases, bad luck, and all things negative.
On Girls’ Day, it is common to drink Shirozake, which is similar to Amazake, a rice-based drink fermented with no alcohol content. The traditional food is Hina Arare, a rice and soybean-based cookie covered in colored sugar.
Other typical foods include Hishimochi and Sakuramochi (mochi rice cake), Chirashizushi (rice topped with colorful vegetables and seafood), and a clam soup called Hamaguri Ushio-jiru.
The girls’ or doll festival also has its own traditional song called Ureshii Hina Matsuri. See below:
Ureshii Hina Matsuri – Lyrics
Akari wo tsukemashou bonborini
Ohanawo aguemashou momo no hana
Go’nin bayashi no fue taiko
Kyou wa tanoshii Hinamatsuri
Odairisama to Ohinasama
Futari narande sumashigao
Oyome ni irashita neesama ni
Yoku nita kanjono shiroikao
Kin no Byoubuni utsuru hi wo
Kasukani yusuru haru no kaze
Sukoshi shirozake mesaretaka
Akai okaono udaijin
Kimono wo kikaete obi shimete
Kyou wa watashi mo haresugata
Haru no yayoi no kono yoki hi
Nani yori ureshii hinamatsuri
Shichi-go-san [753] – Children’s Festival
The Shichi-go-san [七五三] is a festival that takes place every November 15 in Japan. Its name is literally written with the kanjis for the numbers seven, five, and three, as parents take their daughters aged three and seven and their sons aged three and five to shrines to pray for health, good growth, and happiness for all the children present.
A second reason for going to the shrine is to ward off evil spirits, although this practice is already common outside of Shichi-go-san. Since the festival day is not considered a holiday, if it falls on a weekday, it is celebrated on the nearest weekend.
During this festival, children usually dress in kimonos or formal Western clothing, many for the first time in their lives, and receive amulets and their chitose ame (千歳飴), known as the “thousand-year candy.”
The chitose ame is a long, thin, red and white candy wrapped in an edible rice paper that is so thin it looks like plastic.
It is associated with longevity and comes in a bag adorned with a crane and a turtle (symbols of longevity in Japan). There is a common belief that this candy grants a thousand years of happiness to the children who receive it.
The reason the ages of the children participating in the festival are seven, five, and three is twofold. First, Eastern numerology considers odd numbers as lucky numbers. The second reason is that these three ages are the most significant in a person’s childhood.
The history of Shichi-go-san
The festival was established during the Heian period (794 to 1185), when nobles celebrated the growth of their children on what was considered a lucky day in November. It was during the Kamakura period (1185 to 1333) that November 15 was officially adopted as Shichi-go-san Day.
From the Edo period (1603 to 1868), it became a popular Japanese festival. An addendum would be that, during the Meiji period (1868 to 1912), the tradition underwent some changes.
Previously, the festival was treated more seriously, thus having peculiarities compared to what we observe today. When the festival went through the samurai era, the belief was that children up to three years old had to have their hair shaved and that only after the festival could they grow it for the first time.
At three years old, girls would wear their first kimono, usually floral, and at seven years old, they would wear the obi over it for the first time. Boys would wear their first hakama at five years old.
As mentioned earlier, during the Meiji era, the Japanese became more lenient regarding the traditions of Shichi-go-san, and even three-year-old children would dress in the complete traditional outfit. It was also when the practice of shaving children’s hair was eventually set aside.
Despite all the beauty behind all Japanese festivals, the reason Shichi-go-san emerged is somewhat melancholic. In the past, the infant mortality rate was high in Japan, and the festival was an attempt by the nobles to find an answer within a shared belief.
Currently, Japan is no longer haunted by such a problem; however, since then, the tradition of the festival has remained. Let’s leave a video showing a little about this day:
Sekai Kodomo no Hi – World Children’s Day
The UN established the international children’s day on November 20, 1954, but allowed each country to set its own date. Japan chose May 5, but it is good to remember the universal date for Children’s Day.
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