May 5th Children’s Day or Boy’s Festival in Japan

 Samurai armor and Shobu( flowers) for Boy's festival; Tango no sekku
Samurai armor and Shobu( flowers) for Boy’s festival; Tango no sekku

March 3rd is Girl’s festival and May 5th is Boy’s festival in Japan. But festival doesn’t mean to have a party, sing, dance and drink as something fun and loud.  Mainly it seems to be another 1 st birthday.All parents wish for their children’s health and happiness. If they have a daughter, they will celebrate March  3rd. Parents purchase a set of Hina dolls

Hinamatsuri card
Hinamatsuri card

and display at home with a decoration of peach branches and have a typical dishes as clam soup, wishing for happy marriage, chirashi zushi( a kind of sushi)  shirozake ( a kind of sake) and hishimochi ( mochi) and arare (rice cracker).

If they have a son they will get decoration of samurai armor with tiger and a decoration of flowers called Shobu which are a kinds of iris. Shobu means a match or a fight in Japanese  and parents wish their sons  must win a battle, be strong. Also if they have a space in the garden  they get Koinobori, wishing for their health and strong and  successful life.  Koinobori is like this.

Koinobori; carp shaped streamer
Koinobori; carp shaped streamer

Wikipedia will explain better. =)

In Chinese legend after a carp swim upstream the big waterfall, the carp will be a dragon. This is also a symbol of success.

I think that in old days  and maybe still now , they think  girls’ happiness in their happy marriage with a single husband whole their lives. Happiness of a girl was (is) considered  more personal and domestic.  Happiness of a boy was to be brave and successful  in society.  True?

 

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