Birthday - Tanjoubi

Japanese: 誕生日 - たんじょうび

A day to commemorate birth. In ancient Japan, there was no annual birthday celebration, but it gradually started after the Meiji period. In ancient Japan, age was counted by the Japanese age system, and the entire family celebrated the first year of the year, so the custom of celebrating each individual's birthday did not arise. However, celebrating a child's first birthday has been widely practiced throughout the country since ancient times. An example of this in the early modern period can be found in the "Toijō Kotae: Questions and Answers on the Customs of Various Provinces" compiled by Yashiro Hirokata and Ishihara Masaaki. In the Nagaoka domain of Echigo Province (Niigata Prefecture), there is no annual birthday celebration, but on the first birthday of a child who turns two years old by the Japanese age system, relatives, doctors, and elderly women are invited to pound mochi and make strong rice. In the countryside, people lead children by the hand and make them walk, pretending to hit them around the waist with a winnowing basket from behind. This is called Chikara-mochi, and it is said that doing so will make the child strong. In Mineyama-ryo, Tango Province (Kyoto Prefecture), there are also no annual birthday celebrations. It is said that on the first birthday of a child who is two years old (by traditional Japanese age), in the Zaikata area, red rice cakes are made as a token of gratitude and distributed to relatives. In Urasakimura, Bingo Province (Hiroshima Prefecture), mochi is pounded for boys and red rice cakes are made for girls, which are offered to the gods and given to the doctor, the grandmother who helped with the birth, and relatives. In some places in Awaji Province (Hyogo Prefecture), on the first birthday, a winnowing basket or tray is placed on the floor of the living room, and a Kagami-mochi is placed on it, and the child is then made to straddle it. Annual birthday celebrations are not common. In Imazu Village, Bingo Province (Hiroshima Prefecture), doctors, the elderly woman who took care of the deceased, and relatives were invited to celebrate the first birthday, and red rice and mochi were made and sent to the people involved. After that, it was just a heartfelt celebration, and people visited the local shrine.

Modern birthday customs have not changed much from the above, but people still celebrate at home every year, inviting close relatives, siblings, and friends, and giving them gifts. However, there are still some unique customs for a newborn's first birthday. In some places, the first birthday is called Mukaidoki or Mukawari. This is when children start walking, so throughout the country, events such as mochi-fumikomi are held. In Kyushu, including Kagoshima Prefecture, a large Kagami-mochi is made and people stand on it. In the various counties of Shinshu (Nagano Prefecture), mochi is pounded and children are made to carry it on their backs and stand in a winnowing basket. Then, they chant, "Let the shina (rice cake) dance and the fruit remain." There are also examples in the Kanto region of people having children carry a one-sho mochi on their backs and walk, and calling it Buttaoshi mochi, throwing it at the child and making him fall. This is because there was a custom of not wanting children to start walking early, as it was said that children who start walking before their birthday would abandon their parents. Tanjo-mochi rice cakes were distributed to homes that received gifts from the parents after the birth. In return, people would give footwear and beans, with the hope that the child would be able to walk regularly. A custom widely practiced throughout the country to celebrate a child's first birthday is "erabidori." A brush, ruler, abacus, and other items are placed in front of the child and the child is asked to pick them up. The first thing the child picks up, for example, a brush, will be good at writing in the future, and if the child picks up a ruler, they will be good at sewing. This is a custom that predicts the child's future.

[Oto Tokihiko]

foreign country

The custom of celebrating birthdays is linked to the way of counting time, the concept of time itself, and even religious ideas. Some ethnic groups do not remember the date of birth, but many ethnic groups around the world have the custom of commemorating birthdays. The way birthdays are counted varies from ethnic group to ethnic group, and in addition to years, some count by weeks, like the Burmese. In Myanmar (Burma), a child's character and fate are predicted based on the day of the week they were born, and they put one of the letters of the name of that day at the beginning of their name, and it is customary to offer a candle to a pagoda every week on their birthday. In Germany, it is said that children born on Sundays are blessed with good fortune, as they can see spirits and see things in the dark. The Mayans celebrated the day a child first walked or spoke as their birthday. Jews celebrate a boy's 13th birthday as Coming of Age Day. In China, Korea, Japan, and other countries, birthdays later in life, especially the 61st birthday, are given great importance, and longevity is celebrated with great pomp. It is also noteworthy that festivals commemorating the birthdays of gods, as well as individuals, are often observed in religions around the world.

[Jun Shimizu]

[Reference] | Childcare

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

誕生を記念する日。日本では古くは、毎年の誕生日を祝う風はなく、明治以後徐々に行われるようになった。古来日本では、年齢を数え年で数え、1年の初めに全家族が年重ねの祝いをするため、各個人の誕生日を祝う慣習は生じなかった。しかし子供の初誕生日を祝うことは昔から全国に広く行われていた。近世におけるその例を、屋代弘賢(やしろひろかた)や石原正明(まさあき)の計画した『諸国風俗問状答(といじょうこたえ)』にみられるものを記すと次のごとくである。越後(えちご)国長岡領（新潟県）では年々の誕生祝いはせず、数え年2歳の初誕生日に親戚(しんせき)、医師、取上げ婆(ばば)などを招き、餅(もち)を搗(つ)き強飯(こわめし)などをつくる。田舎(いなか)では小児の手を引いて歩ませ、後ろから箕(み)であおぎ鏡餅で腰のあたりを打つまねをする。これを力餅といって、こうすると子供がじょうぶに育つという。丹後(たんご)国峰山領（京都府）でも年々の誕生祝いはしない。数え年2歳の初誕生日には在方(ざいかた)では心祝いとして赤飯をつくり親戚などへ配るとある。備後(びんご)国浦崎村（広島県）では初誕生日には男児には餅を搗き、女児なら赤飯をつくり神々に供え、医師、出産の手伝いをした姥(うば)や親戚に贈った。淡路国（兵庫県）では場所によって初誕生日に座敷の床(ゆか)に箕か盆を置き鏡餅をのせ、その上を小児にまたがせる風がある。年々の誕生日を祝うことはあまりない。備後国今津村（広島県）では初誕生日の祝いには医師、取上げ婆、親類を招き、赤飯、餅をつくり関係筋へ贈った。その後は心祝い程度にし、氏神に参ったりした。

　現代の誕生日の習俗は以上ととくに変わったこともないが、ただ毎年家々で祝いをし、ごく親しい親子兄弟、友人を招いたり贈り物をしたりしている。ただ生児の初誕生日にはやはり特殊な風習がある。初誕生日をムカイドキ、ムカワリと称する土地がある。この時期は子供が歩き始めるときなので、全国を通じて餅踏みなどという行事が行われている。九州では鹿児島県をはじめ各地で大きな鏡餅をつくり、その上に立たせる。信州（長野県）の各郡では餅を搗き子供に背負わせて箕の中に立たせる。そして「しいな（粃）が舞って実(み)が残れ」と唱える。また一升餅を子供に背負わせて歩かせ、それにブッタオシ餅と称して子供にぶっつけて転ばす例が関東各県にある。誕生日前に歩きだす子は親を見捨てるなどといって、早く歩きだすのを嫌う風があったためである。誕生餅は産見舞いをもらった家に配った。そのお返しには履き物や豆類を贈った。まめに歩けるようにとの意味であった。初誕生日の祝いで全国に広く行われている習俗に「エラビドリ」がある。子供の前に筆、物差し、そろばんなどを置いてそれを子供にとらせる。その最初に手をつけたもの、たとえば筆をとれば将来字が上手になる、物差しをとれば裁縫がうまくなるなど、子供の将来を占う風習である。

［大藤時彦］

外国

誕生日を記念して祝う習慣は、時間の数え方や時間の概念そのもの、さらに宗教的な観念にまで結び付いている。民族によっては、誕生の年月日を記憶にとどめたりしない場合もあるが、世界の多くの民族では誕生日を記念する習慣をもつ。誕生日の数え方は民族によって異なり、年ごとのほかに、ビルマ人のように週ごとに数えることもある。ミャンマー（ビルマ）では、子供が何曜日に生まれたかによって性格や運命を予言し、その曜日名の文字の一つを名前の頭(かしら)につけ、毎週の自分の誕生日になるとパゴダにろうそくを捧(ささ)げる習慣になっている。ドイツでは、日曜日に生まれた子は、精霊たちを見たり、暗闇(くらやみ)でものを見たりすることができて、幸運に恵まれているという。マヤ人は、子供が最初に歩いた日、話した日などを誕生日として祝っていた。ユダヤ人は男の子の13回目の誕生日を成人の日として祝う。中国、朝鮮、日本などでは年とってからの誕生日、とくに61回目の誕生日は重視され、盛大に長寿を祝う。さらに、個人のほか、神の誕生日を記念する祭りも、世界各地の宗教において、しばしばみられることも注目される。

［清水　純］

[参照項目] | 育児

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