Kodomo no Hi
Kodomo no Hi ( Japanese こ ど も の 日 , Eng. "Children's Day") is a Japanese holiday that takes place on May 5th during Golden Week . It is a day to respect children's personality and celebrate their joy.
origin
This day was originally called Tango no Sekku ( 端午 の 節 句 ) and was probably the Japanese equivalent of the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival ( 端午節 ). Sekku is a seasonal festival - there are five of them these days. This should mark the beginning of summer or the rainy season. Tango has a double meaning: Tan means "edge" or "beginning" and go "noon". In Japanese go also means five ( 五 ), which could refer to the date of the festival - the fifth day of the fifth month. From ancient times, the fifth month of the Chinese calendar was the month of purification, and many rites to ward off evil spirits were performed during that month.
Although the exact starting date from which this day was celebrated is not known, it probably falls during the reign of the Tennō Suiko (592–628). During the Nara period in Japan, Tango no Sekku was put on the fifth day of the fifth month.
Until recently, Tango no Sekku was known as the “Boys 'Festival”, while the Hina-Matsuri (“Girls' Festival ”) was celebrated on March 3rd . In 1948, the government designated May 5th as a national holiday to celebrate the joy of all children and to express gratitude to their mothers. Then it was renamed Kodomo no Hi . Some have criticized the fact that despite the renaming, it is still the boys 'festival and, in contrast to the girls' festival, a public holiday.
Customs
On this day the families hoist the Koi Nobori ("carp flag") on a high bamboo pole next to the house : a large black one for the father, a red one for the mother, and a blue one for each boy (or child). The carp, which can be rotated in the wind like a weather vane, also tell of the boy's desire for strength, who like carp has to swim against the current. In addition, a doll of Kintarō ( 金太郎 ) riding a large carp and the traditional Japanese military helmet Kabuto are on display. Kintarō is the childhood name of Sakata no Kintoki , a hero of the Heian period and subordinate of Minamoto no Raikō , who was famous for his strength as a child.
Traditionally, on this day, kashiwa mochi , rice cakes wrapped in oak leaves ( kashiwa ), and chimaki are eaten.
Web links
- Yumiyama Tatsuya: "Tango" . In: Encyclopedia of Shinto. Kokugaku-in , February 24, 2007 (English)