60th birthday is called Kanreki (還暦) in Japanese. Kanreki is a starting of a new Cycle of life. This kanji, 還 (kan) means circulate and 暦 (reki) is a calendar and we can understand it as years. So kanreki literary means, your years completed a circle, in other word, you come back to the same year as when you were born. 60-year olds are expected to use this year as a year of reflection. They are to look at their lives and achievements and use this time as a good opportunity to plan the direction in which they would like to move as they begin their second sixty year cycle of life. To celebrate this special occasion, the 60-year-old person wears red clothes.
