From Conception to Adulthood-Children’s Rites of Passage in Japanese Society
From Conception to Adulthood-Children’s Rites of Passage in Japanese Society

Summary/Abstract: The present paper is a short overview of Japanese practices and rituals associated with each significant stage in a child’s life, from the moments before birth—announcing and celebrating the pregnancy—to the ceremony that marks the beginning of life as an adult. I have borrowed Arnold Van Gennep’s concept of “rites of passage” in order to emphasize the idea of transition from one age to another, each being a joyous occasion that requires formal celebration. In my description of family traditions such as Obi-iwai, Miya-mairi,Hina-matsuri, Kodomo-no-hi, Shichi-go-san, or Seijin-shiki, I try to analyze the relationship between the sacred and the community, as well as the shift from a religious practice (making offerings to appease the gods and acquire their benevolence towards the new member of the community) to social ritual—the practice that focuses on the individual, and his/her bond with the family and the community.

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