| Written by Ayaka Shimomura, on 28-04-2008 14:23 |
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After the cherry
blossoms fall to the ground, Japanese people start to look forward to the long national
holiday called Golden Week (ogata renkyu
or ougon shukan). Golden Week
contains the following public holidays:
- April
29th – Showa Day (birthday of Emperor Hirohito, also known as Emperor Showa, 1901 - 1989)
- May 3rd
– Constitution Memorial Day (kenpou
kinenbi)
- May 4th
– Greenery Day or Nature Day (midori
no hi)
- May 5th
– Children’s Day (kodomo no hi),
also known as Boy’s Day
Nine official holidays have been announced by The National
Holiday Laws. As several were concentrated in a week from the end of April to
early May, many leisure-based industries, including the film industry, experienced
a boost in their revenues. For example, in 1951, the film “Jiyuu Gakkou”
recorded higher ticket sales during this holiday week than any other time of
the year. Hence, the film industry named this period of the holiday Golden
Week, and its name was propagated throughout the country.
Golden Week is the longest vacation period of the year for
many Japanese people, and it is a popular time to travel inside and
out of the country. Many Japanese families take their children to the amusement
park or to the zoo during the Golden Week, in celebration of Kodomo no hi.
About kodomo no hi (Children’s Day):
Higher than the roof-tops are the koi nobori
The large Black Carp is the father
The smaller Golden Carp are the children
They appear to amusingly swim
One of Japan’s
national holidays, kodomo no hi is a day
for Japanese people to respect children's personalities and to celebrate their
happiness. It was designated a national holiday by the Japanese government in
1948. Because the day was also known as Boy’s Day, some Japanese opposed
establishing it as a national holiday. Girl’s Day (Hinamatsuri) is not recognized as a national holiday, and many thought
that setting Boy’s Day as a national holiday would reinforce
discrimination between the sexes. However, the idea of kodomo
no hi gradually came to incorporate both boys and girls, and today many Japanese
people enjoy the day with their sons and daughters.
A day before kodomo no hi,
Japanese families raise carp-shaped streamers or wind-socks into the blue sky for each child
and watch these carp swim in the air. Such flags are called koi nobori, and signify parents’ wishes
that their children grow up healthy and strong, like carp swimming upstream. A legend tells of a competition between many different kinds of fish to see who could swim up a waterfall. Only the carp was able to swim all the way up the waterfall, at which point it transformed into a dragon as a symbol of its great achievement. The carp has since been a symbol of fortitude and achievement (which explains the reason for naming Hiroshima's professional baseball team the Hiroshima Carp).
Many Japanese families also display a kintaro doll usually riding on a large carp, and the traditional
Japanese military helmet called kabuto
for kodomo no hi. Kintaro and kabuto are known as symbols of a strong and healthy boy. Kintaro was the childhood name of Sakata
no Kintoki, who was known as a hero of the Heian period because of his strength
and bravery. The story of Kintaro,
who is known for riding a bear as a small child, is very famous among Japanese
people.
May is one of the busiest and most pleasant months for Japanese people.
Along with the warm weather, the holidays bring joy to the Japanese children. Walking
down a street in a residential area, people will see the friendly colorful
corps swimming peacefully on the sky as if they are imitating a happy family.
Check out the following links for pictures of various types
of koi nobori and more information
about Golden Week:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2282.html
http://gojapan.about.com/cs/japaneseholidays/a/goldenweek.htm
http://www.ginkoya.com/pages/koinobori.html
Posted by Ayaka Shimomura
Last update: 22-05-2008 16:05
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