お七夜の伝統 - The tradition of O-shichiya

The tradition of o-shichiya is to wait seven days after the birth of a child to give it a name. Of course, things are a little more complicated than that and before going into everything in detail, a small list of vocabulary words is in order.

Twenty-five words in total. Let’s start:

お七夜 . おシチヤ . the o-shichiya
名前 . なまえ . the first name
名字 . ミョウジ . the last name
姓氏 . セイシ / ショウジ . the last name
氏名 . うじな . the last name
家名 . カメイ . the last name, the name of the house; the family honor
命名 . メイメイ . the appellation
命名書 . メイメイショ . the name certificate
名付け親 . なづけおや . the godfather, the godmother, the person who names a newborn baby
奉書紙 . ホウショシ . the hōshoshi (thick, premium Japanese paper)
生年月日 . セイネンガッぴ . the birth date
出産時 . シュッサンジ . the time of birth
床の間 . とこのま . the tokonoma, the alcove
お祝い膳 . おいわいゼン . the Japanese holiday meal for mothers
赤飯 . セキハン . the rice with red beans
IDブレスレット . the ID Bracelet
アイデンティティブレスレット . the Identification Bracelet
IDバンド . the ID Band
アイデンティティバンド . the Identification Band
愛称 . あいショウ . the small name (affectionate nickname)
異名 . イミョウ / イメイ . the nickname
呼名 / 呼び名 . よびな . the nickname
綽名 / 仇名 / あだ名 . あだな . the nickname
ニックネーム . the nickname
アーティスト名 . アーティストメイ . the artist name

In the West, when a couple is preparing to welcome a newborn into the family, it is customary to think about the newborn’s name before it is born depending on whether it will be a boy or a girl. The name is given to the child immediately after birth, at least as a rule. In Japan, there is what the Japanese call お七夜 . おしちや. This is a ceremony for the seventh day of a baby’s life. Well, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the parents are going to party, but traditionally they name their child on the seventh day after birth and write it in calligraphy on the name certificate.

If nowadays it is no longer necessary, medically speaking, to wait a week, it is not uncommon that Japanese parents have not yet decided on the name of their baby at birth and wait several days, or even お七夜 . おしちや to name it. In fact, in Japanese maternity hospitals, it is not the name of the child that is written on the ID bracelets, the cradle or the medical reports, but « Ms. xxx’s baby ». Sometimes, the medical staff ask the parents if they have already chosen a first name and if so, what is the first name but this is more out of curiosity than anything else, the first name being never used in the maternity hospital.

The night of お七夜 . おしちや, the parents reveal the first name of their child to the close family gathered for the occasion.

The person responsible for naming the baby is called 名付け親 . なづけおや. In the past it was the maternal grandfather who was entrusted with this task, but nowadays it is the parents who name the child (except in very traditional families).

On the D-day, the 名付け親 . なづけおや calligraphy the child’s first name on a sheet of paper, the famous name certificate. Traditionally it is necessary to provide a sheet of 奉書紙 . ホウショシ, a premium heavyweight Japanese paper that is folded in three folds. On the left one we write the appellation. On the middle one, the name of the father, the child’s place in the siblings, his name and date of birth. On the right pane we write the date of the お七夜 . おしちや and the names of the parents. We fold the three flaps on top of each other and wrap it in a new sheet of 奉書紙 . ホウショシ on which we write once again the appellation.

Today it is common for the first name to be written on a white piece of cardboard, which may or may not be decorated. The information written on it varies from family to family but the most common is left to right: the date and time of birth, the first name and its reading in hiragana, the names of the parents or the weight and height of birth.

The name certificate will then be hung at home, traditionally in sacred space, the 床の間 . とこのま. Or above the crib or in the living room where everyone can see it. Normally it is left hanging until the Shinto baptism of the child. I won’t talk about it here otherwise the lesson would be way too long.

Finally comes the meal. The お七夜 . おしちや being a celebration with close family, it is appropriate to serve a festive meal. We call it お祝い膳 . おいわいゼン and usually there is red bean rice, whole cooked fish like sea bream, sashimi, clear soup, etc.

As young parents are unable to cook with their brand-new baby, traditionally grandparents will take care of it, either by cooking or ordering a ready-made meal. Obviously, this is not always the case. It may happen that the parents or one of the parents takes care of the meal, that the grandparents are not available, etc.

Finally, to explain to you what is the 床の間 . とこのま this is a small alcove with a raised tatami floor, where calligraphy, prints in different formats, plants, art objects or ornamental statuettes are exhibited. And the 赤飯 . セキハン is a traditional Japanese dish that is eaten mainly after a happy family event.

For once, there is no need for a particularly long conclusion. There are a lot of kanji that you already know and all of these words are very simple and very common.

In the next lesson, we will finally discuss Japanese surnames, part two. Then the Japanese first names. This time, no surprise, these are the next courses that await you. Very important courses.

We will meet again very soon.