Jūnagai

Jūnagai [十那萦; じゅうながい] is a coming-of-age festival celebrated in Kanton, held for boys and girls who have reached the age of ten by the 8th of January after the New Year. It was historically a celebration of the fact that the children had survived for so long, in a time when child mortality was at its height. Jūnagai is considered an important rite of passage for ten-year-olds into puberty.
== History ==
Jūnagai is said to have originated in the 1200s amongst clan nobles who would celebrate the passage of their children into puberty with a day of festivities. This custom was eventually passed down through the social classes, becoming a common practice amongst all Kantonese regardless of social standing by the 1400s. In many villages, women who had given birth in the weeks leading up to the event would also name their babies on the day of Jūnagai; however, this is rarely seen in modern times.
Historical customs for children on Jūnagai are also very different to the ones used today. For a start, there are far fewer 'rules' for modern-day ten-year-olds on the day. At one time, girl-children would wear jusō (special robes for teenage girls) for the first time, and boys would tie their hair up in a bun style known as bōbun. Also, children would be allowed to eat certain foods which they were previously discouraged from consuming. It was understood that a child's diet was intrinsic to their growth, but there were also many superstitions about certain foods and the harm they could do to a child's heart, mind or body. For example, traditionally Kantonese children were not allowed to eat shellfish until the day of Jūnagai. It is thought that these customs stem from the old belief that children are part-deity, part-human, and that a small piece of their soul is in fact holy and connected to a guardian spirit of some sort. Therefore, harming children or even feeding them the wrong food could offend their inner spirit and bring misfortune upon their family.
The date in use today was set to the 8th of January in the 1920s - before then, Jūnagai would usually take place on the tenth day of the New Year.