Shichi-Go-San (七五三 seven-five-three) is a traditional festival day in Japan when parents celebrate the growth of their children and pray for their future and well-being when their daughters turn three or seven and their sons turn three or five．Originally, this event was held on November 15th. However, these days people often celebrate it on the nearest weekend because it is not a national holiday. There are some regions where they don’t celebrate sons who turn three years old.
Parents usually dress their daughters in kimono and their sons in hakama, which are formal Japanese skirtlike trousers. They then take them to a shrine or temple to celebrate their growth and pray for their health. They also take family pictures as a keepsake.
Chitose ame（千歳飴）is usually given to children as a gift on Shichi-Go-San. Chitose ame literally means “thousand year candy.” The shape of this candy is long and thin to symbolize the parent’s wish for their children’s health and longevity. The candy is red and white, since these two colors are considered good luck. It is wrapped in a paper with a picture of a crane and a turtle on it, both of which represent long life in Japan, and there are also pictures of a pine, bamboo and plum, which are considered auspicious.
In ancient Japan, many children wouldn’t live long into their adult years because of the lack of nutrition or due to poverty. Therefore, this celebration came to be a common practice among Japanese people.
