In Japan, when an infant reached his first month, the parents are arranging an appointment to bring him for his first visit to Shinto Shrine. Hatsu Miyamairi or Omiyamairi means having the rite of passage to a child’s first visit in a shrine. It is synonymous to the traditional baptism of the Christians. A Shinto Priest is the one administering the short ceremony. Famous shrines conduct hundreds of Miyamairi every week with a charge of 10,000 Yen per baby.
On this day, the immediate family of the child are all present to witness his first milestone. The baby is dressed in special white dress or sometimes a white kimono and is carried by the grandmother as it is believed that the mother is still carrying impurities and is still recovering from giving birth.
Here are the steps are to be performed by the priest and family in order to complete the ceremony:
1. The Shinto priest will pray first for the infant mentioning the baby’s name, birthday, name of parents and their address.
2. The priest will also chant a prayer giving thanks to the gods for letting the baby born and the mother safe from giving birth.
3. He’ll also pray for a good health, happiness and success of the baby for the next days and years to come. The ritual usually lasts for five minutes or less.
4. After the prayer, the parents of a child along with his grandparents will go to the altar and bow.
5. They will offer tamagushi -- a traditional Shinto offering made up of a sakaki-tree with piece of paper and a silk or cotton decoration on it.
6. To end the ceremony, a red wooden cup with sake in it is distributed to each person present in the place. It’s also the time where gifts are given to the family.
The family gathers in front of the shrine to have their pictures taken and goes for lunch to celebrate the child’s first visit to Shrine.
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