TODAY IS THE DAY FOR CHILDREN

Children's Day (Kodomo no hi) is a national Japanese holiday which happens every year on May 5 and is part of the Golden Week.  It was designated a national holiday by the Japanese government in 1948 as a day honored to respect children's personalities and to celebrate their happiness.

Until recently, Tango no Sekku was known as Boys' Day (otherwise known as the Feast of Banners) while Girls' Day (Hinamatsuri) was celebrated on March 3. In 1948, the government said that this day was to become a national holiday to "celebrate the happiness of all children and to express gratitude toward mothers." It is now called Kodomo no Hi.

The day was originally called Tango no Sekku and was celebrated on the 5th day of the 5th MOON in the lunar calendar (instead of the fifth month) or Chinese calendar. The reason for the date change was Japan's switch to the Gregorian calendar. The festival is still celebrated in China as well as Japan. It was originally just for boys but has since been changed to include both boys and girls as modernism has crept into the world.

Although it is not known precisely when this day started to be celebrated, it was probably during the reign of the Empress Suiko. In Japan, Tango no Sekku was assigned to the fifth day of the fifth month after the Nara period.


Usually during the Golden Week*, when this holiday takes place, families raise carp-shaped flags (koinobori) because of the Chinese legend that when a carp swims upstream it becomes a dragon (and the wind blowing the flags makes them appear to be swimming). Typically, one flag is hung for each child (traditionally only boys were represented) as well as a Kintarō doll usually riding on a large carp, and the traditional Japanese military helmet, kabuto, these two items are symbols of strong, energetic, and healthy boys in the family.

Mochi rice cakes (kind of a dense rice past) wrapped in oak leaves (kashiwa-mochi) is traditionally served on this day.

*Golden Week:
Today, this week is celebrated by a lot of Japanese taking paid time off of work during this week. Some business are even closed down completely! Well deserved, Golden Week is the longest vacation period of the year for a lot of Japanese people. This holiday week is also a common time for a lot of Japanese families to travel around the world (typically to surrounding islands or the United States).