[Photos] Facts about Japanese holiday celebrating young

VNF - Twenty-year-olds all over Japan will dress up, party and accept responsibility Monday as part of the nation's Coming of Age Day.

Held every year on the second Monday of January, the holiday recognizes a citizen's — coming of age. When a person turns 20, they're legally considered an adult. They can vote, drink and smoke,

Everyone who turned 20 in the past year celebrates on Coming of Age Day, which is referred to in Japanese as Seijin no Hi. Monday is designated as a public holiday.

The Coming of Age Day tradition may reach as far back as the 700s, though its more modern interpretation began in the 1600s. Boys would participate in genpuku and girls would join in mogi ceremonies where they would dress in adult robes and cut their hair. But the people celebrating were younger — around 16, rather than 20.

The holiday took on a different tone after World War II, when the city of Warabi, near Tokyo, hosted a youth festival to cheer people up. The concept caught on and became official in 1948, Coming of Age Day was initially held on Jan. 15 annually, but that changed in 2000.

These days, new 20-year-olds attend ceremonies where they listen to lectures from public officials and are given presents. The women wear expensive furisode gowns and zori slippers, while the men wear suits or hakama pants. Afterward, they drink together in pubs.

Here are photos of this year’s Coming of Age celebrations:

20 – year-old women take selfie photos during their Coming of Age Day celebration at Tokyo Disneyland.

Kimono-clad 20-year-old Japanese women ride on a roller coaster after they attended the Coming of Age Day ceremony in Tokyo

When a person turns 20, they can vote, drink and smoke

A 20-year-old women dressed in traditional clothes poses for a photo during the Coming of Age Day ceremony

During Coming of Age Day celebration, women wear expensive furisode gowns and zori slippers

..while the men wear suits or hakama pants

A 20-year-old woman take the train back home after Coming of Age celebration

Photo: REUTERS

Ha Thuong