Children’s Celebration Day is on 15 November in Japan
Table of Contents
What celebration:
Children’s Celebration Day is one of the happiest days in Japan. Parents wear formal or traditional dress. They go to shrines and temples. Eat good foods and enjoy the day together.
Japanese celebrate many important events and festivals. But 15 November is an important day in Japan. On the day Japanese celebrate a day called Shichi-Go-San. It’s a Children’s Celebration Day.
It is not a government holiday. So, the celebration takes place the nearest weekend of 15 November every year
In Japanese, Shichi-Go-San means Seven, five, and three, which refers to Seven, five, and three years old children.
According to East-Asian numerology 3,5, and 7 are odd numbers that believe to be lucky. Therefore, ages 3,5, and 7 years old children are considered lucky.
Children’s Celebration Day started during the Kamakura Period(1185–1333). Many children could not survive and died before they became three, five, or seven because of various sicknesses.
Parents lost their kids because of poor health conditions. So, parents still think children of these ages are offspring of Japanese Gods.
How to celebrate:
Children’s Celebration Day is only for 3, 7 years old girls and 3, 5 years old boys. However, people do not celebrate 3 years old boys recently.
Children wear Japanese traditional dress Kimonos and go to temples and shrines to drive out evil spirits with their parents. At the same time, they wish for long and healthy life.
Children receive a special blessing from the shrine called Chitoseame.
Chitoseame is one kind of a long stick of red and white candy.
However, it has a special meaning. ‘Chitose’ means one thousand years, and ‘ame’ means candy that means a life of one thousand years.
Where you can see:
Most parents choose to take their children to the nearest shrines or temples for the celebration. However, some of the shrines and temples get busy for this celebration in Tokyo.
Needless to say that Asakusa Sensoji Temple, Meiji Shrine, Gotokuji Temple, Nezu Shrine, Nishiarai Daishi, Atago Shrine, Tomioka Hachiman Shrine, and Kotohira-Gu shrine are the best places to see the Children’s Celebration Day in Tokyo.
Congratulate children:
Never forget congratulating the kids on the Children’s Celebration Day.
Congratulating the children on the day is the social culture in Japan. If you wish, you can congratulate them in English. However, people in Japan congratulate saying, ‘Omedeto Gozaimasu.’
It is worth mentioning that the day is a day of enjoying all family members and keeping memories together. As a result, there is a photo session for every family.
Some families take photos with professional photographers on the day. But some families do it in advance.