Shichi-Go-San

Shichi-go-san is said to have originated in the Heian period among court nobles who celebrated their children's passage into middle childhood. The ages of three, five and seven have a connection with numerology japanese. Indeed, according to Japanese numerology, odd numbers bring good luck. The custom of celebrating this festival on the fifteenth of the month dates back to the Kamakura period.

Over time, this tradition was adopted by the samurai class who added some rites to it. At the age of three, it was customary to shave the head leaving hair only on the top of the head. Five-year-old boys could wear the hakama for the first time, as the seven-year-old girls replaced the simple ropes they used to use to tie their kimono with the traditional belt. During the Meiji period, the practice was adopted by the people, since a new rite has been added: that of going with one's children to a Shinto shrine or a Buddhist temple and praying that they grow up healthy..

The tradition has changed a bit since the Meiji period. The hair ritual has been abandoned, boys who are five years old and girls aged three or seven are still dressed in kimono, for visits to shrines. It is customary for three-year-old girls to wear the hifu (padded jacket) with their kimono, they are combed with their hair pulled up in a bun and decorated with combs or flowers. The boys wear the hakama and the haori (jacket falling on the hakama). Rarely do some children wear western clothes. The photography, although not existing at the beginning of this festival, today sanctifies this unique moment which is the pride of the family who will exhibit it princely in the house.¹.

The chitose soul "Thousand-year-old candy" are given to children. Chitose soul is a long, thin, red and white candy symbolizing healthy growth and longevity. It is given in a bag on which are drawn a crane and a tortoise, animals symbolizing for the Japanese longevity, life expectancy.