A literal as well as symbolic crossing of the threshold in the Meiji Jingu shrine, Tokyo.
This little girl, in her traditional finery, is all set to mark a milestone at the Shichi-go-san, a coming of age ritual celebrated annually at Shinto shrines across Japan. More about it here.
Thank you for visiting………..have a great weekend.
The Urge To Wander 
How apt! Thank you for sharing this, Madhu! 🙂
Ruth (at http://rutheh.com/2014/04/05/weekly-photo-challenge-threshold/) sent me over here – and I’m very glad she did. What a fantastic image.
Excellent entry .. excellent image .. and the little girl had also step over a threshold in her life. Great job, Madhu .. I wish you and your boys a great weekend.
Nihon forever… 🙂 I’ve been to Japan 4 times and do hope to return asap… 🙂
have a pleasant week-end, cheers, Mélanie
Interesting! Thanks for sharing Madhu.
colorful and beautiful 🙂
I can’t think of a more perfect expression of this theme.
Fantastic entry! This week’s challenge stumped me… You have totally nailed it here Madhu!
sempre grandi foto in questo bellissimo blog!
🙂
The little girl looks so so pretty in her kimono!
The ritual sounds very interesting.. shall read up about it. Thanks for posting this!
Lucky you.. to be able to see and experience all of this in real life. 🙂
VERY sweet Madhu – and a wonderful challenge response. She is adorable!
What a beautiful dress. A lovely tradition updated. Thank you for sharing, Madhu.
Good capture of an important cultural event.
kewl 1 🙂
Lovely! I keep having a very special feeling about Japan and it’s culture… but this is a really long and old story! Have a great week… :-)claudine
I do love your people pictures as they always tell me a story
Serves me right- this wasn’t at all what I was expecting when I followed the link from Ruth’s, Madhu. But I love it 🙂 Happy Sunday!
What a lovely pic,Madhu. It feels good to know that they have preserved the tradition by adding certain pleasant changes to it.
I have a book on Shinto sent to me by one of my business associates in Japan before I made my first visit there. It was a good exposure to that culture along with the help I got on Japanese etiquette from a Japanese friend in Singapore. I came to the conclusion it was more a way of life than a religion though of course there are temples and shrines. Japan is such a wonderful place to visit, specially in cherry blossom time.
Traditions give us solid anchors – hold on to them lest we become driftwood.
Thank you, Madhu, for this sharing.
wonderful photograph of their serious faces, appropriate for the ritual, and her colourful kimono makes a startling contrast with the setting and the other’s clothing … deeply appropriate for the theme, a thought provoking shot 🙂
Thank you Christine. It was their expressions that added to the scene.
That is a milestone indeed, the coming if age. I’m so glad they’ve kept the tradition. Happy weekend, Madhu! 🙂
Thank you Marina. Another weekend almost upon us!! 🙂
Many cultures have their “rite of passage” ceremonies, huh? For some with questionable values, we’re glad they are no longer relevant. For those that have continued and have gone on to be more relevant, we celebrate! There are many historical significance a to them. Very interesting. Thank you for highlighting this one.
I agree. Many regressive ones in India have lost their relevance thankfully, although instances of practice in remote areas do surface occasionally. This one seemed like a delightful tradition though. Appreciate your thought provoking comment Mary-ann.
Lovely capture, Madhu – talking about threshold!
Lucky capture more like, Ann Christine 🙂
Beautiful capture for the challenge, Madhu. 🙂
Thanks Sylvia.
Interesting shot, Madhu!
Thank you Stefano.
A lovely shot, Madhu, and perfect for the challenge!
Thank you Naomi.
This is interesting as well as lovely, I’m intrigued by her age?
Thanks Gilly. Assuming she was about seven, since the name Shichi-go-san means seven-five-three.
Great – it can’t get much better than this! Excellent choice for the challenge, Madhu. I feeld deeply moved, watching this young girl. Wonderful capture of a special moment.
I hope the family got a photo at this very moment as well! Wonderfully captured.
I love your new look, Calcutta background, Madhu. And as always, your picture walks in step with the pretty girl… 🙂
How have you been?
Keep flying around. Keep smiling.
Hey, great to see you here Meenakshi!!! Have missed you and your enchanting poetry. Come back soon 🙂
Cute girl. 🙂 Plus, I like the wood carving on that door.
Pure serendipity David! I was actually trying to get a shot of the door without people in the frame, when this family walked past 🙂
Your photograph nails it for the challenge, Madhu. The rest of us can just wait for next weeks challenge and enjoy your excellent entry! No one can top it I’m certain.
Ah thank you so much for the generous compliment Ruth!! That was just a lucky shot 🙂
What she is wearing is such a contrast to the modern clothing her parents are wearing.
It is Colline. And beautiful. Some mothers, and grandmothers were also in gorgeous silk kimonos as well.
Wow simply amazing Madhu to capture just the right moment! The quality photograph too is brilliant 🙂
Thank you Dilip. I was just luckyto be there at the right moment 🙂
interesting web design on your page now, Madhu!
Thanks Frizz. I felt like a change 🙂
What a special day. I love your double take on the theme. Happy weekend, Madhu. 🙂
Thank you Imelda. To you too 🙂
Sounds like a very interesting tradition they’ve… 🙂
– Rahul
It really is a fascinating tradition, and we were fortunate to have had the opportunity to witness it.