when they first learn that there are two or more ways of reading kanji characters. There are even two ways of counting, the more purely Japanese way- hitotsu, futatsu, mitsu... and then the one based on the Chinese, ichi, ni, san.
It is especially interesting to keep this in mind when discussing Japan`s calendar of traditional annual events. This month`s standout special day is Childrens Day (子供の日, kodomo no hi) which has come to involve a fantastic array of festive decorations and foods. Most noticably, there are the carp streamers (鯉のぼり), which can be seen proudly flapping in the wind ( in this part of Japan,we are lucky to be able to see especially large and elaborate ones) or displayed at shops and shrines. Inside peoples homes, or at restaurants and hotels we can see the armor or warrior dolls (Go-gatsu ningyo) which have been put on display. Now less commonly you can see iris (菖蒲, shobu) stems on sale for use in the bath and even more rarely in this part of Japan (though I saw it yesterday), placed on rooves, along with some mugwort (蓬,yomogi). At wagashi (Japanese sweet shops) and convenience stores, kashiwamochi and chimaki are on sale, as the special sweets of the season.
What does all this have to do with Childrens Day?
First let me say something about Japanese festive days in general. Certain days were recognized by the ancient Chinese as being pivotal seasonal markers. These came to be known as sekku (節句) when adopted by the Japanese. To mark the seasonal changes, each sekku involved eating certain foods and displaying certain decorations. In those times the significance of these was usually one of keeping away bad luck or ritual protection.
The major sekku which are still widely celebrated in Japan are: January 7, Nanakusa (seven herbs) no Sekku, March 3, Momo(peach) no Sekku, May 5, Tango no Sekku, or Shobu(iris) no Sekku, July 7,Tanabata, and September 9, Kiku(chrysanthemum) no Sekku.
It now being May, this month`s festive day is of course, Tango no Sekku, which is now known as the national holiday, Childrens Day.
However, since this day has been recognized as being special in ancient times, there have been many meanings connected to it which have changed over the generations.
If you ask a Japanese friend about the significance of Chidrens Day, they will explain that it is a day to celebrate boys and for families with boys to pray for their healthy growth and success. This goes in tandem with March`s Momo no Sekku which is a celebration of girls. They will also explain that carp streamers symbolize strength and perseverence.
The story of Tango no Sekku, however, is much more complicated than this and its history and the origin of its customs are now unfamiliar even to most Japanese.
In ancient Japan (and still today), this is the season for planting rice. To pray for abundant crops and fertility in general and remove impurities from the village young women (早乙女,saotome) would spend a day isolated in a special womens huts called onna no ie(女の家). This hut would be covered with irises and mugwort, which in ancient china were believed to have purifying powers (because of their strong smells).
In the Nara Period(710-794), the Japanese would decorate themselves with garlands of iris and later in the Heian Period it was common (and still is) to decorate homes with these protective plants. At this time tall poles would also be set up by rice fields to welcome the God of Fertility.
Later when Japan came under military rule, the Japanese word for iris, shobu, came to held significant for its homonym, 尚武, shobu, which means reverence for martial arts. Thus, the iris remained a mainstay of Tango no Sekku throughout the generations and many Japanese still use it in their baths on this day for driving away evil and fortifying the body.
It was during the years of military rule that Tango no Sekku came to be associated with boys. One possible explanation for this can be that it had originally been a day to isolate women, and that left the boys to be celebrated!
Kashiwamochi is a pounded rice cake wrapped in the leaf of a Japanese oak. Eating this sweet in this season is an original Japanese custom and signifies the connection between generations, as these trees dont lose their leaves until fresh leaves appear!
Eating chimaki, a conically shapped paste wrapped tighty in leaves, is a custom which originates in China. May 5th in China, is the memorial day of the great warrior 屈原kutsugen, who was famed for his loyalty. On the 5th day of the 5th month men would throw offerings into rivers (he drowned in one) in his honor. At one point, many men at different locations dreamed that it would be better to wrapp these offerings in purifying leaves. This became standard practice, and is now common today in Japan.
Raising carp streamers probably is a continuation of the native practice of setting up poles near the rice fields to welcome the rice god. Since Tango no Sekku came to be a day of celebrating boys, Japanese in the Edo Period (1600-1868) adopted the carp, as a symbol of success. This is because of the ancient Chinese story of the carp struggling upriver and transforming into a dragon.
This custom spread throughout Japan and can especially be enjoyed in Ibaraki where farmers often display fantastic and very expensive koi nobori sets to celebrate their male offspring.
For those who live in smaller abodes there are appropriately sized streamers and even tiny origami or cloth carp.
Finally, there are the dolls and armour which are displayed. Grandparents often spend thousands of dollars on a display for their grandsons, though if you want some dolls for yourself you can get the same exact dolls for a song at second hand shops (since many Japanese would not buy or are even afraid of used dolls!) . These dolls became popular in the late Edo Period as emulating the Samurai class was all the rage for the merchants and then farmers. These dolls and armour are displayed to pray for boys success and health and can be found in a myriad of forms.
There are many other, more obscure decoration for this season, but I have written too much already, so go search then out for yourselves.
Happy Children`s Day!
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