Happy Monday to all! On this particular Happy Monday, we wish a happy Seijin no Hi -- or Coming of Age Day -- to our friends in Japan. This holiday provides a public celebration for young Japanese people who turn twenty during the current academic year, as they move from adolescence to adulthood, and gain the right to smoke, drink, and vote.
All over the world, communities celebrate coming of age with religious, cultural, or personalized traditions, from the formality of Bar- and Bat-Mitzvahs to the more festive Quinceañera, and revelrous prom. While American prom dresses have become notorious for their hideousness, Japanese on the verge of adulthood dress in style for their ceremonies, with women wearing special kimonos called furisodes, and men in hakama pants. Local government offices offer Seijin Shiki ceremonies, after which the new adults venture out to enjoy their new rights and privileges.
All of this pomp and circumstance surrounding coming-of-age makes me wonder: what does it mean to become a “grown-up?” Are drinking, smoking, and voting our only milestones into adulthood? The age of majority differs by country and culture, so there’s no universal consensus.
Perhaps maturity can be measured by our interpersonal relationships. Just last year, Paris Hilton – at the age of 27 -- said she finally felt like a grown-up as a result of her relationship and her business responsibilities. Ms. Hilton’s experience would be right in line with a Dartmouth study from a few years back, wherein researchers concluded that humans experience major brain development well into their twenties, possibly denoting a prolonged adolescence.
Although group graduations from childhood and designated age markers are commonplace, I think that true rites of passage are deeply individual. The wide variety of movies that populate the coming-of-age film genre attests to how many different kinds of experiences change and define us.
How do you define being an adult? Are you there yet?
Suggested Sites...
- Japan's Seijin no Hi Montage - video from Lonely Planet TV with a fun soundtrack.
- Seijin no Hi - DannyChoo.com- lots of colorful pictures of kimonos, suits, and fabulous hairstyles.
- The Coming of Age Festival - observations of the Day with photos by Neil Duckett.
- Coming-of-Age Day - basic overview of the day by Kids Web Japan.
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