こどもの日 (Kodomo no Hi)

Kodomo no Hi, on May 5, is Japan’s national Children’s Day and the last public holiday of Golden Week. It grew out of the older seasonal festival Tango no Sekku, once associated mainly with boys, but since 1948 the holiday has officially celebrated the happiness of all children and thanked mothers. In the days before May 5, families raise koinobori, windsock carp streamers, outside houses, on apartment balconies, and at schools. A large black carp often represents the father, a red or pink carp the mother, and smaller carp the children. Many homes also display a kabuto helmet or Gogatsu ningyo warrior dolls linked to strength and protection.

On the day itself, children often see carp streamers moving over streets, shopping arcades, and riverbanks where towns stage big koinobori displays. At home, people may eat kashiwa mochi, rice cakes filled with sweet bean paste and wrapped in oak leaves, especially in eastern Japan, or chimaki, bamboo-leaf-wrapped rice dumplings, more common in western Japan. Some families continue the older custom of a shobu-yu bath, putting iris leaves in hot water because iris is tied to Tango no Sekku. Museums, castles, and local venues sometimes hold samurai-themed programs or craft events for children, but for many people the clearest signs of the holiday are the streamers, helmet displays, seasonal sweets, and family outings.

The pack has 36 words spread across these domains.