Children's Day (May 5th) |
 Children's Day is a national holiday in Japan when people pray for the health and happiness of children. The 5th day of the 5th month was celebrated as the Iris Festival in ancient times when the lunar calendar was used. The Iris Festival, tango-no-sekku in Japanese, marked the beginning of the summer, and people prayed for boys to grow and be healthy. Today, the Boy's Day Festival is on May 5th. Families that have boys put up carp-shaped streamers made of cloth (koinobori) outside. Samurai dolls in armor are displayed inside to drive away bad spirits and celebrate the future of the children. Children take hot baths with iris leaves called shobuyu, and eat kashiwa-mochi and chimaki. Carp, samurai, irises, oak trees, and bamboo all symbolize strength and courage. Both of these traits have traditionally been desired, especially for boys. |
|
|
| the Iris Festival (tango-no-sekku) While the Iris Festival is for boys, the Doll's Festival (hina-matsuri) on March 3rd is a festival for girls. On March 3rd, families that have girls display hina dolls, beautifully dressed dolls that represent members of the ancient imperial court, to wish for the girls to grow and be health. |
|
shobuyu Shobuyu is said to have a medical effect. It was also believed to purge human bodies of noxious vapors. |
|
kashiwa-mochi  Kashiwa-mochi is a rice cake stuffed with sweet bean paste which is called an in Japanese. Each piece is wrapped in an oak leaf. |
|
chimaki  Chimaki are dumplings made of rice flour wrapped in several bamboo leaves. They are steamed before eating. |