Every January in Japan, we have a national holiday called "Coming of Age Day" (Seijin no Hi). It's all about celebrating young people turning 20! We usually go back to our hometowns (where we went to high school) and attend a big ceremony, usually at the local community hall. It's so fun to see everyone again. Girls often wear beautiful furisode kimonos or suits, and guys usually wear suits or traditional formal wear.
Furisode is a long-sleeved kimono. In modern Japan, it is considered the most formal attire for unmarried women.
My furisode has a gorgeous design of mandarin ducks (called osidori in Japanese). They symbolize a happy and faithful marriage, because they're said to stay together for life – we even have a term, "osidori fuufu," for a couple who are very close. A lot of girls let their hair grow long for this day, but I decided to go with a short haircut instead. ☺️
Here's a photo taken at Sengen Shrine, a large and impressive shrine close to home. You can see rows of sake barrels in the background. This shrine is my ubusunagami - the deity that protects me from birth. It's a very special place for me, as my mother has been visiting the Shrine since she was pregnant with me. It feels like I've been connected to this place my whole life.
日本では20のお祝いをします。毎年1月に行われます。この日は祭日になっていて、国全体で若者の成長をお祝いします。基本的に卒業した高校がある市町村に帰省し、地元の市民文化会館などで式典が行われます。ここで懐かしい面々に再会します。女性は振袖やスーツ、男性はスーツや紋付袴、スーツが多いでしょうか。
私の振袖はつがいのおしどりが描かれています。日本には、仲の良い夫婦を表す言葉として「おしどり夫婦」という言葉があ離ます。おしどりはつがいになると一生添い遂げることから、夫婦の変わらぬ愛や絆を表す柄として昔から親しまれています。
この写真は浅間神社という近くにある大きな神社で撮りました。後ろに並んでいるのは酒だるです。浅間神社は私が生まれる前、母のお腹にいる時から通っている私の産土神様です。
この日のために前もって髪を切らずにいる女子も多い中、私はショートカットで挑んでいますね。笑）