Oshichiya (literally the “Seventh Night”) is a celebration that traditionally takes place, as you may have guessed from the name, seven days after the birth of the child. Although no longer practiced, originally as part of the ceremony, those who had heard rumors about the birth would gather on the first night, third night, and fifth night to celebrate. Traditionally, it is during the Oshichiya celebration that the name of the child would be decided as well. The parents of the child would choose some names that they liked, and of those names the grandparents would select one, making the final decision.
The grandparent responsible for choosing the final name would write the name and birthday of the child on a special, heavy form of Japanese paper called “houshogami,” subsequently adding the name of the person who gave the child the name. This document would be given to the parents with a gift in celebration of the birth.
