C E L E B R A T I N G   T H E   7 - 5 - 3   ( S H I C H I   G O   S A N )   F E S T I V A L

The colorful shichi-go-san festival is held on November 15th. In the two weeks leading up to this day (and often the following two weeks as well) parents and their beautifully dressed up children can be seen at Shinto shrines all over Japan. The festival is a life-cycle rite for girls of three and seven years old, and boys of five. They are dressed up in the brightest traditional kimono, and hakama or blue and gray suits for the boys.

The priest at the local shrine—the rites must be performed at the children's own parish—performs a special ceremony in which the rites aim to protect the children and give them good fortune for the future. The little girls tend to love the dressing, making up and all the attention they receive. Boys seem less excited. For the parents and grandparents it is an important milestone, for which the whole family gets together.

The origin of the festival is shrouded in mystery and has long been forgotten. Some researchers believe it may be related to ancient customs for the first wearing of hakama (a sort of kimono for boys) and obi (the belt for a woman's kimono).

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