Coming of Age Day is celebrated in the month of January which falls on the second Monday of the month. This day is celebrated as a national holiday, especially for those people who have just stepped into adulthood. This day is special for every person as they move one step ahead of being a responsible member of the society. Earlier the Coming of Age Day was celebrated on January 15th but later in 2000 it was revised to the second Monday of January.
There is a special ceremony hosted by the municipal government of Japan on the Coming of Age Day for adults who have turned 20 years old. In Japan if a person is 20 years old, he/she is known to be an adult. People who have just turned twenty have the right to vote, they are also permitted to smoke and drink. Other than these things, this age is full of responsibilities as well; therefore in the Japanese culture this age is given a lot of importance. It is like stepping into a more realistic world and facing different situations.
2013 - January 14
2014 - January 13
2015 - January 12
2016 - January 11
2017 - January 9
2018 - January 8
2019 - January 14
2020 - January 13
In Japanese culture, people hold special ceremonies to celebrate the coming of age day. Long back, when boys turn 15 years of age they mark as their adulthood, while for girls it was 13 years. In Japan, between1603-1868 which was known as the Edo period, girls used to paint their teeth black and boys used to crop their forelocks. Only by 1876, the age of 20 was considered as the legal age for stepping into adulthood.
In today’s time, when men turn 20 years which is their coming of age day celebration, they like to dress in suits while women like to dress in a traditional costume known as ‘furisode’. This is a special kimono that has very long sleeves and beautiful designs. The traditional dress is worn by unmarried women. This dress is specially designed for women who are unmarried the furisode is considered to be formal dress which is worn when a girl steps into adulthood.
Though many people would not be aware of this beautiful day, since now you know about it try and make other people aware.