七五三

七五三 is a Japanese custom to celebrate children's growth at the age of 3, 5 and 7 on 15th of November.
On 七五三, boys aged 5 years old and girls aged 3 and 7 years old are celebrated. Until Samurai period in Japan, the ages 3, 5 and 7 were special for children. First of all, it used to be a traditional custom to shave children's heads until 3 years old. Only after getting 3 years old, was children allowed to grow their hair. At the age of 5, boys were allowed to wear はかま(a fomal Kimono for males) for the first time in public. And girls aged 7 were let to use おび(a sash to tie Kimono) instead of a cord, which only young children use to tie their Kimono. Therefore, these ages used to be meaningful in children's growth. Also, people thanked God for healthy growth of children as not many children grew to become those ages because of illness, lack of food or poverty at that time.



These days, parents take children in Kimono to Shinto shrine and have prayers offered by a priest. The most famous shrine is Hie shrine in Tokyo, which around 2,000 families visit on 七五三 every year. Parents need to pay more than 10,000yen (about $100) for prayers.

ちとせあめ
After the ceremony at the Shinto shrine, children receive ちとせあめ, stick lollies. ちとせあめ literally means" thousand-year-old-lollies". There are pictures of a crane and turtles on its bag, both of which are symbols of longevity. People wish children's healthy growth and long lives in the future with ちとせあめ.