The 7-5-3 festival is a day that many Japanese parents treasure in their children’s early years.
It takes its name from the translation of shichi-go-san (lit. seven, five, three) in Japanese. Observed annually on 15 November, it’s an occasion for families to celebrate the health and growth of children who are three, five or seven years old.
While there are many ways for families to mark shichi-go-san, parents often dress their children in kimonos or hakama (wide formal trousers) or other formal wear and visit shrines to pray for their wellbeing and success. Many families capture and commemorate the day with professional photos. Parents also treat children to sweets called chitose ame (‘one thousand-year sweet’). These are long, hard, red or white sweets, packaged in decorative paper bags printed with auspicious phrases in kanji (Chinese characters used in Japanese) and images of cranes and turtles, symbols of longevity in Japan. Businesses including cake shops and toy makers sell celebratory products, and restaurants promote special menus for families to enjoy after the festivities.
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Kikuya Natsuki, a London-based sake educator, celebrated with her daughter Kikuya Miyu in Japan last year.
“My daughter, Miyu, wore the same kimono that my grandmother chose for me for my seventh-year shichi-go-san. It was moving to see her wearing it, showing love and tradition passing down the generations. She was so proud to wear a kimono and get her hair and makeup done.”
Ohnishi Lynne, a London-based professional shares similar memories of her shichi-go-san experience.
“I remember my shichi-go-san day well. It was exciting to celebrate with my parents and get dressed up in a kimono. My parents were very proud, and they still display the photo in their living room.”
Some historians date the roots of shichi-go-san to Japan’s Heian period (794-1185 CE). Others identify its origins among the aristocracy of the later Muromachi period (1336–1573), when child mortality rates were high. The day celebrated the survival of children and included specific ceremonies for boys aged three and five’ and girls aged three and seven. In East Asian numerology, many numbers have special significance, and three, five and seven all have auspicious associations.
Shichi-go-san was later adopted widely by the samurai class, who celebrated with specific rituals. These included kamioki (hair leaving), when the practice of keeping the hair of under-threes very short was allowed to lapse, and children’s hair could begin grow out. Hakamagi-no-gi, for five-year-old boys, was the first time a young boy would wear formal clothes including hakama and haori (a thigh-length jacket). Obitoki-no-gi, for seven-year-old girls, was the first occasion for girls to wear an obi (a wide, stiff decorative belt) to tie their kimono. These rituals signified stages in the child’s journey toward adulthood.
During the Meiji period (1868–1912), the custom of celebrating shichi-go-san spread more widely among other classes of Japanese people. The festival evolved into a celebration of children’s health and development still recognizable to Japanese people today.