Japan’s Kodomo no Hi (Children’s Day): Explore a New Culture with a Craft

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What’s one of the best ways to teach kids about cultures different from their own? Teaching them through celebrations and food! Maybe it’s my background in International Relations, but I love teaching kids about holidays around the world. First, it was with my niece, and now I get to celebrate with my daughter, too. Many different cultures celebrate children around the globe with days such as Día del Niño in Mexico, celebrated on April 30th, and Kodomo no Hi in Japan, which falls on May 5th! Which makes it a perfect way to introduce your little ones to something new! 

Celebrate Kodomo no Hi, or Children's Day, with Albuquerque Moms Blog

Kodomo no Hi (Children’s Day) 

Kodomo no Hi is a day to celebrate children. It is the last holiday celebrated during Golden Week, a string of holidays celebrated over an entire week—it’s one of the most special times in Japan. 

Until 1948, Children’s Day was Boy’s Day, (Japan still celebrates Girl’s Day, or Hina Matsuri, on March 3rd). However, the origins of Kodomo no Hi and its symbolism are much more ancient. Originally, many believe, the Imperial Japanese court celebrated Kodomo no Hi as one of its five annual ceremonies, but it was called Tango no Sekku, which celebrated boys, fathers, and their strength. Now, Kodomo no Hi celebrates the health and happiness of all children as well as gratitude for mothers and the family as a whole. 

How Do You Celebrate Kodomo no Hi ?

If you are in Japan during the celebration of Kodomo no Hi, you’ll see colorful carp windsocks, called koinobori, everywhere. They’re commonly displayed from the roof of homes with children because they represent the family: a black carp to represent the father, a pink or red carp to represent the mother, and smaller carps of various colors to represent the children. There is even a traditional song about koinobori

Yane yori takai koinobori
Ookii magoi wa otoosan
Chiisai higoi wa kodomo tachi
Omoshirosoo ni oyoideru
Carp streamers are higher than the roof
The biggest carp is the father
The small carp are children   
Enjoying swimming in the sky

People also celebrate with customary decorations, such as kabuto, or samurai helmets, that are either replicas or made from paper. Many families also adorn their homes (and their baths) with iris leaves (shobu). This is supposed to help ward off evil spirits and promote good health. 

There are also traditional sweets like kashiwa mochiKashiwa mochi are sweet rice cakes (mochi) filled with sweet bean paste and wrapped in kashiwa, or oak leaves. Chimaki, another favorite, is a sweet rice cake wrapped in bamboo leaves. There are many sites across the Internet with traditional recipes for Kodomo no Hi. Many of the recipes are kid-friendly, both to eat and to help create!  

There are also many videos on YouTube about Children’s Day to help make the celebration interactive!

Crafts, Food, and Fun for Children’s Day

Part of the fun of teaching kids about celebrations from around the world is having them take part in the celebration with crafts and food. You can make koinobori with materials you probably already have at home. You can free-hand sketch the carp design or, if you’re like me and can’t even draw stick figures, you can find many patterns online.

Materials:

  • A piece of 24″ x 18″ paper or fabric 
  • Glue
  • Decorations such as fabric paint, markers, and colored tissue paper (but nothing too heavy)
  • Thin strip of cardboard, about 17″ long and half an inch wide
  • Stapler 
  • Hold Punch
  • String or ribbon cut about 16 inches long
  • A small wooden rod (optional) 

Instructions: 

  1. Fold the piece of paper or piece of fabric in half. Trace the shape of a carp with a wide opening for the mouth. 
  2. Cut the fish shape out so you have two identical sides. 
  3. Decorate your fish, but don’t make it so heavy it won’t “swim” in the wind.
  4. Punch a hold on either side of the carp mouth. 
  5. Glue the two sides of the fish together, making sure the mouth and the end of the tail remain open. (If you’re using fabric, turn the fabric inside out, glue the sides together, then turn it right side out once the glue dries.) 
  6. Glue the ends of the piece of cardboard and staple the ends together to make a circle. Fit the circle about an inch inside the carp’s mouth and secure it with glue so the mouth stays open.
  7. Thread the piece of string through the holes at the carp’s mouth, then tie the two ends together.

Attach your koinobori to a rod or somewhere it can catch the breeze and watch it swim! 

Food, crafts, and videos are a fantastic way to introduce children to different cultures in a fun and interactive way! What about you—do you celebrate any holidays from around the world? What’s your favorite way to teach your little ones about other cultures?