From culture to culture and country to country, coming of age ceremonies differ greatly.
For example, the age of adulthood varies. Some begin when the participants are as young as 11, while other cultures don’t give young people the full freedoms of an adult until they’re 21 years old.
Aside from that, the ceremonies themselves are also unique to various societies. Marking these age milestones with a public event allows for celebrations within social and community circles, as well as a chance for new adults to assert themselves as an individual who will now make their own way in the world. Depending on the culture, more emphasis will be traditionally put on one aspect or the other - the community versus the individual.
When it comes to Japan, it is a culture known for valuing the collective over the individual, and this is reflected in the country’s coming of age ceremony. Although the participants will also have parties among their friends and family for their individual birthdays, they will all celebrate their burgeoning adulthood together on one single day of the year called ‘Seijin no Hi’. This national holiday takes place on the second Monday of January, and those who have turned twenty or will turn twenty between 2nd April the previous year, and 1st April that year, will be recognised and celebrated as adults at the same time.
The main event on Seijin no Hi is the ‘seijin shiki’. This is a local ceremony, with all new adults in the area invited to celebrate. Because of this, the new adults will often see their old school friends there, making the event feel like a class reunion as well as a coming of age celebration.
Twenty holds cultural significance as the threshold for adulthood in Japan, but reaching this age also unlocks real world freedoms such as being allowed to drink alcohol, smoke, gamble and adopt children.
(Source: 陳清悅, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Coming of age ceremonies in Japan are said to date back to 714 CE when a young prince marked his passage into adulthood with a particular outfit and hairstyle. The event as we know it today started in 1946, and now it’s not just for royalty, but the clothes worn for the ceremony are just as important. As it takes place in the winter, the young women wear thick, long-sleeved kimono called furisode in beautiful bright colours, accessorised with white fur. The men wear either a western-style formal suit, or a hakama (traditional Japanese wide-leg trousers) and a haori (a kimono-style jacket). This attire can be pretty pricey, so it is usually just rented for the special day.
(Source: Nicholas Ng on Unsplash)
But this focus on the collective can be at odds with the need that many young people have to make their coming of age day about themselves specifically. While traditions are still important, influences such as globalisation and new technology have changed the outlook of many young Japanese people, and individuality isn’t necessarily seen as a bad thing anymore.
One method that the new adults have come up with to stand out on coming of age day, is to wear the most ostentatious ensemble they can possibly dream up. This trend has particularly taken hold in Kitakyushu and Okinawa, two areas of Japan known for their wild coming of age parties. Male participants go all out, with hair dyed in neon colours and wrangled into pompadour styles, and the most garishly patterned hakama they can find. The women pile their hair as high as they can in elaborate styles, and experiment with different kimono styles, or even wear the usually male-only hakama.
In recent years, many changes have occurred which some worry may threaten these coming of age traditions. The first issue is Japan’s declining birth rate, which has meant there are less and less young people to attend each year. There has also been a small number of incidents caused by the unruly drunken behaviour of the twenty-year-olds on Seijin no Hi, which has given some citizens a bad impression of the festivities. Lastly, recent changes to age restriction laws have left some questioning whether twenty is still considered the age of adulthood in Japan. While twentieth birthdays used to open young people up to a world of voting and marrying without parental consent, these laws have been recently revised. Eighteen-year-olds have been able to vote since 2015, and the rules regarding marriage will change from 2022.
Despite these changes, marking Seijin no Hi is seen as an important rite to adulthood. It has even survived the adversity of the Coronavirus situation this year, thanks to planning by local governments to move the various ceremonies online, or through the implementation of extra precautions for in-person events. Whatever adaptations have to be made, such an important milestone will continue to be celebrated both in the community, and as individuals.