子供の日-Children's Day-

Have you ever heard of a Japanese expression "Golden Week"? If you haven't, it's this week. This year's Golden Week is especially "golden" because we have four national holidays in one week! Since Showa Experor's Day is Sunday, we have another holiday on Monday. Thursday is Constitution Day, Friday is Greed Day, and Saturday Children's Day. I wish I were in Japan right now because this week is the final week here in Bloomington...Thank goodness it's over now. Now it's Golden WeekEND for me...

So, tomorrow is Children's Day, the day Japanese boys have waited for a long time to come. If Hinamatsuri (Peach Festival, around March 3rd) is a celebration for girls, then Children's Day is a celebration for boys. Around May 5th, you'll see a lot of colorful carp swimming in the air. They are what is called Koinobori. I think it's from an ancient Chinese mythology in which a carp swims up a river and passes some kind of gate and turns out to be a dragon. So probably we do this because we want our boys to be strong (I mean, strong like seriously, of course in medieval Japan all parents wanted their boys to be strong Samurai). Now we don't have to wear armors and carry our swords, but still boys should be strong. Probably strong here means patient and dependable...Anyway, so on Children's Day Japanese households traditionally display Mushaningyou (Samurai dolls), and boys wear Kabuto (helmet). Do you know you can make Kabuto out of a sheet of newspaper? If you don't, check out one of the origami textbooks. I'll definitely make some and have my students wear them on Children's Day! Ah, don't forget to play one of the Samurai games on that day...For me, it's Milton-Bradley's masterpiece board game Shogun (or Samurai Swords). I can't wait to play that notorious game again with my friends!

Everyone, happy Children's Day!