A little while ago, my mum had her 60th birthday. It was such a shame that I could´t be there to celebrate. 60th birthday is one of the biggest birthdays in Japan and is called Kanreki (還暦) in Japanese. This kanji, 還 (kan) means circulate and 暦 (reki) is a calendar and we can understand it as years. So kanreki literary means, your years completed a circle, in other word, you come back to the same year as when you were born.

 

 

 

Still puzzled? This comes from the way ancient Japanese people counted the years. They didn´t use the Gregorian calendar but the lunar calendar and each year was counted with 12 different animals, which is called Junishi (十二支) ; Ne (子/ mouse), Ushi (牛/ cow), Tora (寅/ tiger), U (卯/ rabbit), Tatsu (辰/ dragon), Mi (巳/ snake), Uma (馬/ horse), Hitsuji (未/ sheep), Saru (申/ monkey), Tori (酉/ chicken), Inu (戌/ dog), I (亥/ hog). This is still kept in the modern Japanese life. By the way, this year, 2015 is a year of sheep and the next year 2016 is a year of monkey.

 

Wait, if there are 12 animals, when it circulate completely, it only takes 12 years and you should be 12 but not 60. Mathematically incorrect. Each year is combined with one of Jikkan (十干), which indicate time and space and there are, Kinoe (甲), Kinoto (乙), Hinoe (丙), Hinoto (丁), Tuchinoe (戊), Tsuchinoto (己), Kanoe (庚), Kanoto (辛), Mizunoe (壬), Mizunoto (癸). For example, this year is a year of sheep and with jikkan, it´s Kinoto Hitsuji (乙未).

 

The combinations are 60 in total and that is why “kanreki” makes sense as one circle. As the person completes whole 60 combinations, the 60th birthday is also a celebration of re-born. The person will start a new circle of life. 

 

This custom was introduced to Japan in Nara period (奈良時代, 710-794) from China and it was a celebration for the 40th or the 50th birthday among noble people. Back then, 50 years old was very old. Before the WWII, the average life span for Japanese people was 50. The myth Japanese people live long is a quite recent thing and in the ancient time, someone who became 60 years old was a quite special. Perhaps reaching 100 years old nowadays.  

 

60 years old in the present time is nothing. They are still young and many haven´t retired yet. My mum for instance, she is a sporty person and runs 5-10km a few times a week. When she has something to deliver to a friend´s house, she prefers to go running than by bike. 

 

I was planning to buy her a red vest and a hat as a tradition. But she said it would be too old-fashion and didn´t want them. 

Why they wear red things to celebrate kanreki? 

The colour red is believed to have an effect of protection in Japan and people would put red clothes to new born babies.This vest is called chan-chanko (ちゃんちゃんこ) and is a sleeveless kimono jacket for children. Since Kanreki has a meaning of re-born, people started to give the 60-year-old person a red vest and a hat.

 

Nowadays, kanreki has become a celebration of showing a gratitude or an appreciation for their work until now instead of celebrating for a long life. Also people tend to give more fun things such as a red tie, a shirt or a scarf.

 

 

Named original T-shirt.

 

 

Or a red underwear like Spanish people in the New Year´s Eve.

 

 

If you don´t know your junishi or jikkan, you can check it from here. Sorry it´s in Japanese though. 

 

生まれ年	干支	生まれ年	干支
1924 1984	甲子　きのえね	1954	甲午　きのえうま
1925 1985	乙丑　きのとうし	1955	乙未　きのとひつじ
1926 1986	丙寅　ひのえとら	1896 1956	丙申　ひのえさる
1927 1987	丁卯　ひのとう	1897 1957	丁酉　ひのととり
1928 1988	戊辰　つちのえたつ	1898 1958	戊戌　つちのえいぬ
1929 1989	己巳　つちのとみ	1899 1959	己亥　つちのとい
1930 1990	庚午　かのえうま	1900 1960	庚子　かのえね
1931 1991	辛未　かのとひつじ	1901 1961	辛丑　かのとうし
1932 1992	壬申　みずのえさる	1902 1962	壬寅　みずのえとら
1933 1993	癸酉　みずのととり	1903 1963	癸卯　みずのとう
1934 1994	甲戌　きのえいぬ	1904 1964	甲辰　きのえたつ
1935 1995	乙亥　きのとい	1905 1965	乙巳　きのとみ
1936 1996	丙子　ひのえね	1906 1966	丙午　ひのえうま
1937	丁丑　ひのとうし	1907 1967	丁未　ひのとひつじ
1938	戊寅　つちのえとら	1908 1968	戊申　つちのえさる
1939	己卯　つちのとう	1909 1969	己酉　つちのととり
1940	庚辰　かのえたつ	1910 1970	庚戌　かのえいぬ
1941	辛巳　かのとみ	1911 1971	辛亥　かのとい
1942	壬午　みずのえうま	1912 1972	壬子　みずのえね
1943	癸未　みずのとひつじ	1913 1973	癸丑　みずのとうし
1944	甲申　きのえさる	1914 1974	甲寅　きのえとら
1945	乙酉　きのととり	1915 1975	乙卯　きのとう
1946	丙戌　ひのえいぬ	1916 1976	丙辰　ひのえたつ
1947	丁亥　ひのとい	1917 1977	丁巳　ひのとみ
1948	戊子　つちのえね	1918 1978	戊午　つちのえうま
1949	己丑　つちのとうし	1919 1979	己未　つちのとひつじ
1950	庚寅　かのえとら	1920 1980	庚申　かのえさる
1951	辛卯　かのとう	1921 1981	辛酉　かのととり
1952	壬辰　みずのえたつ	1922 1982	壬戌　みずのえいぬ
1953	癸巳　みずのとみ	1923 1983	癸亥　みずのとい

Oops, I have to send my mum the card!

 

 

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