Q: How do they celebrate birthdays? (William D.)
A: According to those I asked, children celebrate birthdays much the same as they do here in the U.S., with a birthday cake and presents.
There is also a tradition called shichi-go-san (which means "seven-five-three"), that is celebrated in mid-November for girls when they are the ages of 3 and 7, and for boys at age 5. Their parents dress them in kimonos (there is are kimonos for boys, as well as girls) and take them to shrines and temples to pray for their health and long life. They are given a special kind of candy to celebrate the occasion. Their mothers dress in kimonos for this as well. Although we were in Japan in October, before the date for shichi-go-san, we saw some families who appeared to be observing this tradition a few weeks early, at a shrine in Kamakura. Here are their pictures; I think the girl is 3 and the boy is 5. They look very cute in their beautiful clothes.
