1.
seventh-night celebration (for a newborn baby)
a traditional Japanese celebration held on the seventh night after a baby's birth, when the baby's name is formally announced
赤ちゃんのお七夜を祝った。
We celebrated the baby's seventh-night ceremony.
お七夜に命名書を書いて飾る。
On the seventh night, they write out and display the naming certificate.
最近はお七夜を簡単に済ませる家庭も多いが、命名のお祝いだけは大切にしたい。
These days many families keep the seventh-night celebration simple, but they still want to make the naming ceremony special.
A traditional Japanese ceremony held on the seventh night after a baby's birth. The main purpose is the formal naming of the child. The baby's name is written on a 命名書 (naming certificate) and displayed in the home.
CEREMONY CUSTOMS:
- 命名書 — a calligraphied card or paper announcing the baby's name, displayed on the wall or at the family altar
- 祝い膳 — a celebratory meal, traditionally including 尾頭付きの鯛 (whole sea bream) and 赤飯 (red bean rice)
- Family members and close relatives gather to meet the baby
RELATED CELEBRATIONS:
- 宮参り / お宮参り — first shrine visit (around 30 days after birth)
- 百日祝い / お食い初め — 100-day celebration with symbolic first meal
- 初節句 — first seasonal festival after birth
USAGE:
Also written without the honorific お as 七夜, but the お七夜 form is far more common.