The Age Celebration, Good Health and Longevity Blessing to celebrate general good health and a long life, when celebrating the Ages of 60, 70, 77, 80, 88, 90, 99, and 100.*
Every milestone in life is a blessing from Kami-sama. Celebrate these milestones and thank Kami-sama for their blessings, and pray for continued good health and longevity.
*Kazoedoshi / Eastern Age: Before your birthday add 2 years, after your birthday add 1 year.
Each age milestone has a name, meaning, and celebratory color:
還暦 Kanreki – Age 60* – Red
Kanreki is the 60th birthday in Japan. It is important because the traditional zodiac calendar completes one full cycle every 60 years, meaning a person has returned to the same zodiac sign as at birth.
People celebrate Kanreki by visiting a Shinto shrine and expressing gratitude to Kami-sama for being able to reach this age in good health, as well as for purifying any impurities they may have accumulated along the way, and by praying for continued health and a long life. It is also seen as a fresh start in life, similar to becoming “young again.”
It is customary to wear red clothing. Red is believed to protect against evil and was traditionally used for newborn clothing. Wearing red therefore symbolizes returning to the beginning of life, like a baby.
古希 Koki – Age 70* – Purple
The name comes from an old Chinese poem of the Tang dynasty poet Du Fu (712-770) describing 70 years as a rare and special age. It is customary to wear purple clothing.
喜寿 Kiju – Age 77* – Purple
The old form of the kanji 喜 for happiness is 㐂. It is traditionally associated with the age of 77 because its form resembles 七十七 (77). It is customary to wear purple clothing.
傘寿 Sanju – Age 80* – Golden Brown
The old form of the kanji 傘 for umbrella is 仐. It is traditionally associated with the age of 80 because its form resembles 八十 (80). It is customary to wear golden brown clothing.
米寿 Beiju – Age 88* – Golden Brown
The kanji for “rice” 米 can be seen as resembling the number 88, so it represents this age. It is customary to wear golden brown clothing.
卒寿 Sotsuju – Age 90* – White
The kanji for “graduation” 卒 can be seen as resembling the number 90, so it symbolizes this age. It is customary to wear white clothing.
白寿 Hakuju – Age 99* – White
The 99th celebration is called Hakuju. It comes from the idea that if you remove one stroke from the kanji for “hundred” 百, it becomes the character for “white” 白. Therefore, white is the color used for this celebration.
百寿 Momoju – Age 100* – White
The kanji for “hundred” 百 can also be read as “momo”, which sounds the same as “momo” 桃, the Japanese word for “peach”. In East Asian tradition, peaches symbolize longevity and good health, so white is used for this celebration. It is customary to wear white clothing.
Includes: One “Chōju” (Long Life) Omamori or one “Kenkō” (Good Health) Omamori and a Naorai Package
For nursing homes and retirement communities, we can also offer the option of holding one combined ceremony to celebrate multiple milestone ages at the same time. This can be arranged for as many age celebrations as desired for a flat ceremony fee of $1,000, plus donations for the Omamori.
