褌祝いへこいわい

noun

traditional coming-of-age ceremony for children

Historical Japanese rite of passage in which boys received a new loincloth (褌) and girls a new underskirt, marking a step toward adulthood. Now largely obsolete; encountered mainly in historical or ethnographic contexts.

• 江え戸ど時じ代だいには、褌へこ祝いわいという通つう過か儀ぎ礼れいが行おこなわれていた。

  In the Edo period, a rite of passage called hekoiwai was performed.

• この地ち方ほうでは、褌へこ祝いわいの風ふう習しゅうが近きん年ねんまで残のこっていた。

  In this region, the custom of hekoiwai survived until recent years.