Celebration of Children's Day !

Children's Day is a national holiday which is celebrated on the 5th.of May.This day was traditionally celebrated as the Boy's Festival, Tango no-sekku（端午の節句) until immediately after  the World War 2.  Now  we wish  all the  children, both boys  and girls happiness and prosperity on this special day.Actually this tradition came from China in ancient time.

After my elder son was born , my husband and his frined brought 1 tall bamboo from the mountain nearby and placed  it on the ground in our garden . Before the Children's Day he hung carp-shaped cloth streamers called Koi-nobori（鯉幟）.The flying of Koi-nobori symbolises the wish that boys in the family will grow to be both  strong and courageous just like the carp.I used to put a cute looking boy doll with a samurai helmet and a small sword on the alcove in the tatami room .

We eat Kashiwa-mochi wrapped with an oak leaf and dumpling with bamboo leaves.

Last night I put calamus leaves into the hot water in the bathtub as we believe that they can ward off the bad sprits and improvement of military arts because the leaf looks like a sward!

                                          Chimaki 粽(mochi inside is made from  the root of Kudzu vine )
                                   This mochi are sold  for only this season diffrent from Kashiwa- mochi
                                    below.    May 5   2013
                                          

                                             Kashiwa-mochi

 

 

 

I prepared mackerel Sushi  wrapped with  bamboo skin at  my mother in law's house in Kyoto to celebrate .My grand mother was very good at this Sushi in this season.

 

Small Koinobori at the suppermarket.

                                                The picutre of  the calamus and ornaments

 

                                               calamus (This leaf has very strong and special smell.
                                         It looks like a pandan leaf in Singapore but  more aromatic.

 

                                                           
                                                                     May 5  2013

こいのぼり

 Koinobori

 

In the Edo -periodo  around 400 years ago

 

In  the Showa -era around 80 years ago

 May 15 2013 at  the Japanese Association  in Singapore