The ( zh, t=冠禮, s=冠礼, p=guànlǐ'')'' is the

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China, and is variously described as a tradition, philosophy, religion, theory of government, or way of life. Founded by Confucius ...

coming of age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...

ceremony. According to the (), it is only after the

ceremonies that young people could call themselves

adult An adult is an animal that has reached full growth. The biological definition of the word means an animal reaching sexual maturity and thus capable of reproduction. In the human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social an ...

s and could share social responsibilities. The name refers to the ritual ceremony for men which involves the use of a , while the ('')'' refers to the one for women and involves the use of a . Both the and have important symbolic meaning for the

Han Chinese The Han Chinese, alternatively the Han people, are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Greater China. With a global population of over 1.4 billion, the Han Chinese are the list of contemporary ethnic groups, world's la ...

. Both of these ceremonies are key

Confucian rites Confucian ritual religion ( s 礼教, t 禮教 ''Lǐjiào'', "rites' transmission", also called 名教 ''Míngjiào'', the "names' transmission"), or the Confucian civil religion, defines the civil religion of China. It consists of the state-e ...

, and are part of the "four rites", along with

marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

, mourning rites, and sacrificial rituals. The and the ceremony can be performed by people of any social class; however, rich people were more likely to hold the ceremony than poor people. In the 20th century, these ceremonies slowly phased out, but there has been a recent resurgence of interest, especially in those who are interested in Confucian traditions and . Since 2010, large ceremonies have taken place each year at Wenmiao, in

Taiyuan Taiyuan; Mandarin pronunciation: (Jin Chinese, Taiyuan Jin: /tʰai˦˥ ye˩˩/) is the capital of Shanxi, China. Taiyuan is the political, economic, cultural and international exchange center of Shanxi Province. It is an industrial base foc ...

Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...

History

The and the ceremony appeared in China in ancient times, prior to the Qin era. Some philosophical texts dating from the

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ) was a royal dynasty of China that existed for 789 years from until 256 BC, the longest span of any dynasty in Chinese history. During the Western Zhou period (771 BC), the royal house, surnamed Ji, had military ...

and

Warring States period The Warring States period in history of China, Chinese history (221 BC) comprises the final two and a half centuries of the Zhou dynasty (256 BC), which were characterized by frequent warfare, bureaucratic and military reforms, and ...

provide some evidence for the ceremony, for example in the

Analects of Confucius The ''Analects'', also known as the ''Sayings of Confucius'', is an ancient Chinese philosophical text composed of sayings and ideas attributed to Confucius and his contemporaries, traditionally believed to have been compiled by his followers. ...

and by texts written by

Mencius Mencius (孟子, ''Mèngzǐ'', ; ) was a Chinese Confucian philosopher, often described as the Second Sage () to reflect his traditional esteem relative to Confucius himself. He was part of Confucius's fourth generation of disciples, inheriting ...

. The ceremony can also be found in the Han Shu.

Ceremony

The is also known as the "capping" ceremony. The character is sometimes translated as crown or cap. As a coming of age ceremony, the ceremony marks the passage of man from childhood to adulthood. It is only after the ceremony that a man is considered an adult and can be given adult responsibilities and rights; for example, a man could become the heir of his family, get married, inherit a business, and participate in other aspects of society.

Age

The ceremony typically occurs when a man reaches 20 years old and when a girl reaches 15.

Location and organization of ceremony

The ceremony takes place in the young man's ancestral temple on a carefully chosen date, which was considered auspicious, and it was organized by a respectable senior relative of the young man. It could also be done by the eastern stairs (which was the entrance typically used by the master of the house) if the boy was a son by the proper wife, to symbolize that he was in the succession line. On the day of the ceremony, many guests were invited, including the parents of the young man, the master of the ceremony, and an assistant.

Procedures of ceremony

The procedures of ceremony occur through the following steps: # Before the ceremony, the boy takes a bath; his hair is done and he then waits in a room. #At the beginning of the ceremony, the father of the boy gives a brief speech. #The boy comes out from the room and meets with the guests. #The father of the boy would hand him a cup, in the guest's place, without receiving one in return. #The senior relative, or the master of the ceremony, washes his hands. # The senior relative places three caps on head of the young man, as follows: ##The ceremony master washes his hand and places a on the boy's head; the boy then goes to another room to wear clothing with the same colour as the cap. After that he comes out and returns to the ceremony master. ##The ceremony master then gives him another cap; the boy goes back to the room and comes back wearing a dark coloured clothing which is worn by adult men to match the cap. #The young man gives a salute to all the guests and officially becomes a "man". # The young man would obtain a courtesy name.

Derivatives and influences

Korea

Following the Confucian tradition, Koreans also performed the "capping" ceremony, known as '' Gwallye'' () as a symbol of coming-of-age for men. On the day of the coming-of-age ceremony, Korean men would have their hair put up in a top knot and cover it with a hat (e.g. a gat) and were official given responsibilities as an adult men.

References

{{Religious Confucianism Chinese culture Rites of passage East Asian traditions Confucian rites