Yuta's Japanese Birthday Party

by Yuta
(Japan)

I am Yuta, and I want to pen down the special moments of my 21st birthday in Japan. The celebration was part traditional and part modern. This time, I celebrated my birthday most grandly than ever before.

It was a surprise party arranged by my friends, and they were all there with me on that day!

My ancestors and my parents have never celebrated their birthdays on their real birth day. They celebrate on January 1st, which is the official start of the New Year.

There are some foremost birthday traditions we follow in Japan. The birthday child must wear entirely new clothes to mark the occasion. To provide protection from harm, it is Japanese custom to visit temples and shrines to be blessed by the Shinto priests. I went to the Shinto shrine early in the morning with my parents.

In Japan the 3rd, 5th and 7th birthdays are said to be cursed years, since many children died on those ages. Also, the 25th and 42nd birthdays are said to be critical (or unlucky) years, and we usually do not celebrate them. Instead, the person will wear red on that birthday to bring long life and good health. For women, the 19th and 33rd birthdays are also said to be dangerous.

Back to my 21st birthday party ... That day holds many special things in Japanese tradition, but both I and my brother celebrate on our true birthdays, not on January 1st like our ancestors.

At my party, we enjoyed many of our traditional dishes like sushi, soba noodles, yakitori and yakizakana. But we also had a birthday cake (see photo). It was a wonderful day!