is a public holiday in Japan which takes place annually on May 5 and is the final celebration in Golden Week. It is a day set aside to respect children's personalities and to celebrate their happiness. It was designated a national holiday by the Japanese government in 1948, but has been a day of celebration in Japan since ancient times.

History

The day was originally called one of the five annual ceremonies held at the imperial courtand was celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth moon in the

Chinese calendar The traditional Chinese calendar (also known as the Agricultural Calendar ��曆; 农历; ''Nónglì''; 'farming calendar' Former Calendar ��曆; 旧历; ''Jiùlì'' Traditional Calendar ��曆; 老历; ''Lǎolì'', is a lunisolar calendar ...

. After Japan switched to the

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years d ...

, the date was moved to May 5.Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan Encyclopedia.''
Cambridge:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retir ...

. ; , p. 948 Until 1948, Children's Day was known as Boys' Day (also known as Feast of Banners), celebrating boys and recognizing fathers, as the counterpart to Hinamatsuri, or "Girl's Day" on . In 1948, the name was changed to Children's Day to include both male and female children, as well as recognizing mothers along with fathers and family qualities of unity.

Celebration

On this day, families raise the '' koinobori'',

carp Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish from the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. While carp is consumed in many parts of the world, they are generally considered an invasive species in parts of ...

-shaped windsock (carp because of the Chinese legend that a carp that swims upstream becomes a

dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted a ...

and flies to Heaven, and the resemblance of the waving windsock to swimming fish), with a black carp for the father, a red or pink for the mother, and one carp (usually blue, and sometimes green and orange too) for each child. Traditionally, when celebrated as Boys’ Day, the red ''koinobori'' was for the eldest son with blue and additional colors for younger brothers. Families may also display a samurai doll, sometimes riding on a large carp (often representing the Japanese folk heroes Kintarō or Momotarō), and/or the traditional Japanese military helmet, ''

kabuto ' (兜, 冑) is a type of helmet first used by ancient Japanese warriors which, in later periods, became an important part of the traditional Japanese armour worn by the samurai class and their retainers in feudal Japan. Note that in the ...

'', due to their tradition as symbols of strength and vitality. '' Kashiwa mochi'' (sticky rice cakes filled with red bean jam and wrapped in oak leaves) and ''chimaki'' (sticky sweet rice wrapped in an iris or bamboo leaf) are traditionally served on this day. '' Akumaki'' (name in Kagoshima Prefecture, of a dish called more widely in Japan ''chimaki'' (ちまき)), the Japanese version of the zongzi, eat in China for double five festival.

References

External links

Kids Web Japan

Video on Children Day in Fukushima, Japan

Video on Children Day in Coffs Harbour, Australia
{{authority control Public holidays in Japan Festivals in Japan May observances Children's Day

History

Celebration

See also

References

External links