Miyamairi
Encyclopedia
Miyamairi is a traditional Shinto
rite of passage
in Japan
for newborns.
Approximately one month after birth (31 days for boys and 33 days for girls), parents and grandparents bring the child to a Shinto shrine, to express gratitude to the deities for the birth of a baby and have a shrine priest pray for his or her health and happiness. The practice is not dissimilar to a Christian
baptism
.
Today, most Miyamairi are practiced between one month or 100 days after birth. In famous and busy shrines, the ceremony is held every hour, often during weekends. A group of a dozen babies and their families are usually brought in the hall, one group after another. Before the altar, a Shinto priest wearing a costume and headgear appears between the group and the altar, reciting a prayer and swinging a tamagushi
right and left. During the prayer, the priest cites the name of the baby, the names of the parents, the family's address, and the baby's birthday. Afterwards, the parents and grandparents come forward, one by one, bow to the altar, and place tamagushis upon it.
At the end of the ceremony, rice wine in a red wooden cup is given to each person in attendance; small gifts are often given to the family.
A shrine will typically charge between ¥5,000 and ¥10,000 per baby.
Shinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
rite of passage
Rite of passage
A rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person's progress from one status to another. It is a universal phenomenon which can show anthropologists what social hierarchies, values and beliefs are important in specific cultures....
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
for newborns.
Approximately one month after birth (31 days for boys and 33 days for girls), parents and grandparents bring the child to a Shinto shrine, to express gratitude to the deities for the birth of a baby and have a shrine priest pray for his or her health and happiness. The practice is not dissimilar to a Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
.
Today, most Miyamairi are practiced between one month or 100 days after birth. In famous and busy shrines, the ceremony is held every hour, often during weekends. A group of a dozen babies and their families are usually brought in the hall, one group after another. Before the altar, a Shinto priest wearing a costume and headgear appears between the group and the altar, reciting a prayer and swinging a tamagushi
Tamagushi
is a form of Shinto offering made from a sakaki-tree branch decorated with shide strips of washi paper, silk, or cotton. At Japanese weddings, funerals, miyamairi and other ceremonies at Shinto shrines, tamagushi are ritually presented to the kami by parishioners or kannushi priests.-Linguistic...
right and left. During the prayer, the priest cites the name of the baby, the names of the parents, the family's address, and the baby's birthday. Afterwards, the parents and grandparents come forward, one by one, bow to the altar, and place tamagushis upon it.
At the end of the ceremony, rice wine in a red wooden cup is given to each person in attendance; small gifts are often given to the family.
A shrine will typically charge between ¥5,000 and ¥10,000 per baby.