Many of you know that I just finished enjoying my first 3-day weekend of the new year. Japan has many national holidays, and there is generally at least one 3-day weekend a month. Monday, January 11th was "Coming of Age" Day, and I had no idea what it meant until today!
Coming of Age Day is celebrated on the second Monday in January, and it marks the transition between childhood and becoming a responsible adult. So this week's celebration was in honor of people celebrating their 20th birthday between April 2009 and March 2010. The age of 20 is when Japanese can smoke, drink, vote, etc. and are thought to now be "self reliant members of society".
Neighborhoods host ceremonies for their residents turning 20. Females generally wear a special type of kimono for unmarried women with extra-long sleeves and elaborate designs. A full set of formal clothing is expensive, so it is often borrowed from a relative or rented rather than being bought. Males some times wear traditional kimonos too, but most wear formal Western clothes, such as a suit and tie.
Some days living in Japan is like putting together a puzzle. When my lunch ladies were telling me about this tradition today, a light bulb went off in my head! On Monday I was out walking around and saw many young women wearing kimonos outside nice hotels and other swanky establishments. I knew it was a strange sight (since kimonos are so fancy), but I never connected the dots as to why the women were all the same age, and that it had something to do with the national holiday!! I'm sure this won't be my last "aha!" moment while living abroad!
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