thomas
Jan 16, 2003, 00:43
One small island taking an egalitarian stance.
Kimono banned from island's Coming-of-Age ceremony
A woman was deprived of attending her official Coming-of-Age ceremony because she refused an order to remove her traditional kimono -- a garment almost synonymous with the ritual.
Officials from the remote island of Himeshima, located off the coast of Oita Prefecture, maintain their stance of banning ceremony participants from wearing pricey traditional garb is for the better of all its new adults.
"We made the decision after considering the situation of families unable to come up with the money to buy expensive kimono," said a spokesman for the Himeshima Board of Education, which organizes the island's official Coming of Age ceremony. [...]
=> http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20030115p2a00m0fp018000c.html
Kimono banned from island's Coming-of-Age ceremony
A woman was deprived of attending her official Coming-of-Age ceremony because she refused an order to remove her traditional kimono -- a garment almost synonymous with the ritual.
Officials from the remote island of Himeshima, located off the coast of Oita Prefecture, maintain their stance of banning ceremony participants from wearing pricey traditional garb is for the better of all its new adults.
"We made the decision after considering the situation of families unable to come up with the money to buy expensive kimono," said a spokesman for the Himeshima Board of Education, which organizes the island's official Coming of Age ceremony. [...]
=> http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20030115p2a00m0fp018000c.html