[Words for Seasons] Tango No Sekku - Children's Day (Japanese National Holiday)

・鯉のぼりKoinobori (Carp Streamers)
・兜Kabuto (Samurai Helmet)
・菖蒲湯Shobuyu(Sweet Flag Bath)
・柏餅Kashiwamochi (Mochi with Oak Leaf)

Here is this season's phrase: Tanngo no sekku.
May 5th is the day of Tango no Sekku, a Japanese tradition to celebrate the growth of boys. Today, May 5th, is Children's Day, a day to wish for good health and happiness for both boys and girls. On the other hand, March 3rd is the Girls' Festival (Hina Matsuri) to celebrate the growth of girls.

As May approaches, koinobori can be seen everywhere around town. They are carp-shaped windsocks made of cloth or paper. When the wind blows, windsock carp seem to swim powerfully and energetically. Carp are fish that swim well even in fast-flowing rivers. Flying a carp streamer means you hope that children grow up healthy and large like a strong carp.

 

A kabuto is a piece of traditional Japanese armor. Decorating a kabuto on the day of Tango no Sekku is a wish to protect children from illness and misfortune.

 

Shobuyu is a bath with leaves and roots of the sweet flag plant. The scent of sweet flag is said to protect one's body from bad things. On the day of Tango no Sekku, people take a sweet flag bath in hopes of staying healthy and avoiding illness. The smell of sweet flag relaxes people, and it has long been a custom for people to enjoy shobuyu.

 

Kashiwamochi is a Japanese confection consisting of a mochi (rice cake) filled with anko (sweet bean paste) and wrapped in an oak leaf. Leaves of the oak do not fall off until new shoots sprout. This nature of the oak leaf leads to the meaning that the family will last forever. And kashiwamochi is eaten as a food for good luck.

 

May 5th is Children's Day, one of Japan's national holidays. Each year, events for children are held throughout Japan.