A Must-Have Outfit for Shichi-Go-San - Now and Then

Today, 15  November is the traditional #Shichi-Go-San festival ( #七五三 ) in Japan. It celebrates children reaching the threshold ages of 3, 5 and 7.
 
To be more specific, boys aged 5 and girls aged 3 and 7 are blessed on this day. You may recall that Tango no Sekku (Boys’ Day) on 5th May is a celebration for boys and Hinamatsuri (the Doll Festival) on 3rd March is for girls.
 
On this festive day, children of these ages wear traditional dress i.e. kimono and visit a shrine together with their parents to pray for their healthy growth.
 
Kids also carry a colourful bag containing long stick-shaped sweets called #Chitoseame (#千歳飴, meaning “thousand-year sweets” in its literal translation) as a symbol of longevity.
 
The combination of kimono and long stick sweets is a must-have outfit for Shichi-Go-San. Or at least that’s what I thought at that age.
 
But maybe the same can’t be said for all children. I was surprised when I saw photos taken on this occasion by my younger friend. The photos feature her daughter not only in kimono but also in several different Western dresses, including one very much resembling a wedding dress.
 
People used to take such formal photos on the day of the celebration. But things are different now. Photo studios offer a package service, meaning that more and more parents rent outfits from the studio and take pictures beforehand.
 
I heard that some even skip the most important part, i.e. paying a visit to a shrine. Modern parents seem to think that they can forgo such obligations just by taking pictures.
 
I guess that some things fade away while others stay the same:
The picture here shows the Chitoseame bag my son carried for this festival a decade ago. I didn’t have the heart to throw it away and actually brought it all the way from Japan to Germany. The sweets insides must be fossilised by now.
 
The colours of the pictures printed on the bag of sweets seems to have faded away over time. But my parental wishes for the well-being of my son have, of course, remained the same and will continue to do so!

#japanese #culture #tradition #kulturverst ändnis