The ceremony took place at this beautiful Shinto shrine outside of Towada City. It was snowing when we arrived so we felt like we were in a Japanese snow globe as the giant flakes fell down all around us. I had fun taking pictures with my new fisheye lens while they were busy getting Quinn into her kimono.
The ceremony itself took place inside the main shrine building. I have never been inside one of these shrines before, so that was a neat experience. Normally people are not allowed to take pictures inside because it's a sacred space, but we were given permission since it was a special occasion.
Below, you can see Sharon and Quinn right before the ceremony began. Quinn had on a little blue kimono, and then they had the big ceremonial kimono draped around her. It's held up with ribbons tied around Sharon's neck. Very cute!
The priestess was dressed in a vibrant orange kimono and moved very gracefully. She began the ceremony by striking a giant drum several times, then she went up to the front, kneeled, and chanted as she asked the spirits for their blessing. We had no idea what she was saying so Emiko whispered a brief translation for us. Then the priestess asked Sharon to come forward and make an offering of an evergreen branch and pray for good fortune on Quinn's behalf. The other ladies and myself were then asked to do the same thing as participants. I was very uncomfortable with this as this was definitely not a Christian ceremony. But I was afraid to appear disrespectful or ruin the ceremony and so I went through the motions and just prayed to my God instead. =^/
It was definitely a unique Japanese experience that no one else has had (yet) from our squadron. Emiko is close to another girl named Anna from the squadron who just had a baby in December and gave them a baby kimono as a shower gift. So I imagine there will be another ceremony in about three months. Below is a picture of Sharon, Quinn and Emiko with the priestess.
Another girl from the squadron named Susanna also came along for the ride. She is fairly new to the squadron so this was one of her first Japanese adventures. She was so excited!
It was an honor being invited to take part in this special day for Sharon and Quinn. Sharon was our sponsor when we moved here and was very close to Claire and Jon when they lived in Misawa. It will be sad when she leaves in a couple of months.
One of the last things we did was write a wish on the back of one of these tablets and hang it up as a prayer. Sharon wished for lots of love and happiness for Quinn - something I think she'll have plenty of in the future. ;^)
Then with one final prayer at the front of the shine, the ceremony was complete. Sharon helped Quinn throw in some money as an offering, then ring the bells, bow twice, clap twice and bow again. I don't agree with/believe in Shintoism but it is kind of fun observing their formal ceremonies.
After that was over we went out to lunch at a traditional Japanese restaurant in Towada. When we were finished eating, they did one more small tradition where they put together a ceremonial "first meal" for Quinn. There were 5 dishes that each had a special significance, and Sharon had to pretend to feed each one to her baby. The whole thing was fascinating and I'm thankful I got to witness this rare glimpse into Japanese culture and tradition!
Happy 100 days, baby Quinn! Blessings to you and your family!
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