The First Birthday Celebration!!

Happy birthday to you! 

In the recent Japan, it is not surprising that we celebrate our birthday every year, however, this custom spread since the Meiji era. Before that time, Japanese celebrated only the first birthday of one year old.

Only Once birthday celebration in a life!

Today’s topic is about the first birthday celebration.

お誕生日おめでとう！

最近の日本では、当たり前のように毎年誕生日をお祝いしていますが、この習慣は明治時代以降に普及したものです。それ以前の誕生日の習慣は、満1歳の初誕生日だけを祝うものでした。そんな人生で一度の誕生日のお祝い。

今回は、初誕生日祝いについてです！

In old Japan, babies would often pass away before one year old because food was not plenty and they could not receive appropriate medical care because of monetary reason. Therefore Japanese celebrated their children’s first birthday magnificently with feeling of delight and gratitude that they could live vigorously until one year old, and with hoping they grow successfully in the future.

昔の日本では食料が不十分なことや金銭的な問題で適切な医療が受けられないことで、赤ちゃんが1歳前になくなってしまう事がよくありました。そのため、満1歳の初誕生日祝いは、1歳まで元気に生きられたという喜びや感謝の気持ちをこめて、また今後無事に成長することを願って、盛大に行われていました。

The first birthday celebration has been held maintaining the differences of each region even today. So, I introduce my first birthday celebration as an example!

初誕生日祝いは、現代でも地域ごとの違いをもちながら行われています。そこで、私の初誕生日を一例に紹介します！

First, there is a ceremony called Mochifumi. 

Adults let children wear straw sandals and step on the red and white isshouochi which is around shaped 1-1.8 kilograms rice cake. It is held mainly in the Kyushu region. This ceremony includes desires such as “children can live steadily in the future” and “children grow to be strong and healthy men.” Also, we use an isshoumochi because "isshou (it represents weight in Japanese)" also means “isshou (it represents a life in Japanese)", and it includes desire, “children have no troubled with food in a life and they grow strongly.”

まず、初誕生日祝いの一つに、「餅踏み」と呼ばれる行事があります。

これは、赤ちゃんにわらじを履かせて紅白の一升餅を踏ませる行事です。九州地方を中心に行われています。この餅踏みには、「この先、地に足をつけて歩んでいけるように」、「足腰の丈夫な健康な人間に成長して、強くたくましく生きていけるように」という願いが込められています。また、一升餅であるのは、「一升」を「一生」とかけて、一生涯食べ物に困らず、丈夫に育つようにとの願いがこめられているためです。

straw sandals　わらじ

Mochifumi 餅踏み

Moreover, there is a ceremony called Erabitori that adults let children choose from several items, and adults predict children’s talent and occupation by an item the children take in their hands first. 

Here is examples of items: 

The abacus... the ability of business

The brush... the ability of the artistry and the writer

A picture book... the ability of reader and the literary

For example, if children take the abacus, they have a talent of business.

Japanese adults enjoy it by placing many kinds of goods in front of children.
According to my parents, I chose a picture book.

そして、並べたいくつかの品々の中から赤ちゃんに選ばせ、最初に手に取った品物で赤ちゃんの才能や職業を占う「選び取り」というものがあります。

例えば、そろばんを手に取ると商売の才能をもつ、筆を手に取ると芸術・物書きの才能を発揮する、絵本を手に取ると読書家や文才になる、などです。

遊び心でいろいろなものを並べ盛り上がります。

ちなみに私は絵本を選んだそうです。

Erabitori 選び取り

In addition, Japanese eat special cuisines which have various means for the first birthday celebration: shusseuo, which is fish called by different names at different stages of its growth, and sekihan, which is steamed rice with red beans etc.

また、初誕生日祝いでは、出世魚や赤飯等、様々な意味が込められた料理がととのえられた祝い膳が食べられます。

special meals for celebration 祝いの膳

The traditional celebration continues, on the other hand, the way of the first birthday celebration has diversified recently. In terms of food, it depends on each family; some families celebrate with Western cuisine and cakes. However, the feeling that family wants children to grow up vigorously is common to any times. 
While the style of celebration changes, the culture which celebrates the first birthday with family and heart which wish the healthy growth of children have been handed down.

伝統的なお祝いが続く一方、最近では初誕生日祝いのやり方も多様化しています。料理で言えば、西洋料理やケーキでお祝いするなど、各家庭によって異なります。
しかし、赤ちゃんに元気に育ってほしい気持ちはどの時代も共通。
お祝いの様式は変化しつつも、家族で初誕生日をお祝いする文化と子どもの健やかな成長を願う心は受け継がれていますね。