Will Children’s Day in Japan be Passed On?

Osaka – Wednesday, May 5, 2010

May 5, the last day of Golden Week long holiday, is Children's Day in Japan. The national holiday is an occasion for Japanese families to celebrate the well-being of their children. May 5 was traditionally a festival for boys known as Tango no Sekku. However, this changed in 1948 when it became a day of celebration for all children.

1. What are the traditional customs associated with the day?

1) Flying carp streamers

On this day, families often fly carp streamers outside their homes to represent strength and success, and flying carp streamers are seen in many sight seeing spots. For example, tens of carp streamers are set to fly above/across the river of Oboke-Koboke in Tokushima Prefecture, which is well known for enjoyment of riding a boat down the river.

2) Dolls of famous heroes

Some families also display samurai warrior dolls of famous heroes inside their homes. The dolls symbolize strength.

Originally Japanese dolls were not children's toys to play with. In ancient times, dolls were used as effigies to rid people of misfortune and disease. It was only after the Edo period that they were made for the appreciation of annual events such as Hina Matsuri, the Girls' Festival, explained in the previous article Will Doll’s Festival Celebration Be Passed On?, and Tango No Sekku, the Boys' Festival.

After the Meiji period, dolls made of celluloid and rubber were introduced from Western countries. Barbie dolls became very popular in Japan at the end of the 60's.

Foreigners (non-Japanese people) may consider geisha dolls or those of women in kimonos to be typical Japanese dolls. They are generally quite expensive because each part of the dolls is made by hand and silk is used for their kimonos. Their faces must be painted by master craftsmen.

3) Kabuto hats

Kabuto hats, symbolize strength, similarly to dolls of famous heroes. Kabuto is a kind of helmet put on by samurai warriors. Kabuto hats are made with almost zero cost and with ease using with large paper (sometimes newspapers) by Origami methodology.

4) Bathing with iris leaves in water

Other customs associated with the day include bathing with iris leaves in the water for good health and well-being. Very often, long iris leaves are tied around the heads of boys while bathing. The origin of this custom is not clear. However, the iris leaves is called “Sobu” which is homonym of game/match/competition, and it is possible that this is the origin of the custom.

5) Rice cakes wrapped in oak leaves

The other customs associated with the day is eating rice cakes wrapped in oak leaves called kashiwamochi. This custom is originally eating chimaki, rice cakes without azuki bean inside, wrapped completely in bamboo leaf, similarly in a way samurai warriors used to take their food out. Eating kashiwamochi, which is more popular kind of rice cakes with azuki red bean inside, became the popular custom, replacing eating chimaki.

6) Measuring height

To see how children are growing with well-being, parents used to measure how tall their children are on this day by marking on a pillar inside their house. They could see the growth by comparing with the mark of the previous years. With annual health checkup at school today and there is no need to measure, this custom is no longer popular.

2. How are custom performed today?

It is quite prominent that like other traditional customs, the above customs are actually performed by less family today, which is a pity. For example, the author wanted to take photo of flying carp streamers and post it as well with this blog article because she did see a few around her house until a few years ago but she found none this year. (The photos posted are of free online photos.)

To the author, the customs has more importance and meaning with low birth rate, a serious social issue in Japan. I fact, it was announced May 4 that number of children has been on the decrease 29 consecutive years. It is quite possible that one reason that above customs are performed less today is the fact that there are few households now that have children.

It is under such circumstance that a special documentary TV programme went on the air on May 3, about a well-being of a family with 3 boys and 5 girls living in an island of Kagoshima prefecture, southern Japan. Since 1 boy and 1 girl had already left home to go on studying in senior high school and university in mainland, so the programme was mainly about the remaining 6 children. Nevertheless, the message of the programme was quite clear; wishing and encouraging people to raise as many healthy, well-being children as possible.