User:Estemi/Seijin shiki
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This page is a user's work in progress page, not an article, and may be incomplete and/or unreliable. The current version of this article is, or will be located at Seijin Shiki. |
| Seijin no Hi | |
 Shinseijin (新成人 New Adults?) in traditional furisode kimono at the Meiji Shrine in Shibuya, Tokyo. |
|
| Also called | Coming of Age Day Seijin Shiki |
|---|---|
| Observed by | Japanese citizens |
| Type | Coming of age ceremony |
| Date | National holiday on the second Monday of January May be celebrated on other dates. |
Seijin Shiki (成人式 Coming of Age Rituals?) are coming-of-age ceremonies hosted by local governments and shrines in Japan to celebrate youths upon reaching their age of majority, 20 years old. The ceremonies are held annually, typically on the second Monday of January, Seijin no Hi (成人の日 Coming of Age Day?), and invite those who have turned twenty sometime within a year of the ceremony, with exact dates depending on local regulations.
The ceremonies usually feature lectures, parties, and commemorative gifts to the honored.
Contents |
[edit] Origins
Several coming-of-age customs have been common in Japanese history, such as Genpuku and Bundoshi Iwai for males and Mogi and Keppatsu for females. The current Seijin Shiki evolved shortly after World War II when, on 22 November 1946, youth-group advocate Shoujirou Takahashi organized a Seinensai (青年祭?), "Youth Festival", in Warabi of the Saitama Prefecture. The goal was to encourage youth ambitions in a depressed post-war environment. The event spread to other towns and, shortly thereafter, developed into the present Seijin Shiki.
In 1948, the Japanese government declared Seijin no Hi (成人の日 Coming of Age Day?) a national holiday "to recognize ascension to adulthood, and to encourage and celebrate the efforts of the youth." The date of Seijin no Hi was originally set at January 15th, and most districts moved their ceremonies to this date. In 1998, an act popularly known as the Happy Monday Law moved Seijin no Hi to the second Monday of January.
[edit] Defining "New Adults"
The traditional requirement for participation in a Seijin Shiki is having turned twenty since the previous Seijin no Hi. Recently, however, the system has aligned with the Japanese school year, in which case participants must turn twenty between the April 2nd before the ceremony to the April 1st afterwards. Under the first system, participants born between January and April attended their Seijin Shiki largely with strangers. Under the school year system, former high school classmates may attend the same ceremony.
In the case of pre-1998 Sapporo, new adults attended Seijin Shiki based on calender year (for example: a person born at any time in 1978 would celebrate the 1998 Seijin no Hi). This system became unpopular with the youth because many rōnin, still in limbo from failing college entrance exams, and migrants from other towns to Sapporo, in the process of seeking work or transferring schools, could not attend their Seijin Shiki. The school year system was eventually adopted.
Until the end of the 1960s, the majority of participants in Seijin Shiki were already working in society as adults. Thereafter, rising college attendance rates have changed the demographics of the event so that the large majority of participants are students, often still reliant on their parents.
[edit] Dates
Seijin Shiki are normally held on the nationally sanctioned Seijin no Hi, or perhaps the day before. In other cases, certain municipalities choose to hold the ceremonies during Golden Week, Bon Festival, or Japanese New Year. This is especially common in rural areas, where participants may be seeking employment or attending college far away, and may only come home during other holidays. Areas that have poor weather during January may also move the ceremony date.
