Japanese Festival

Kodomo no hi -- Japanese Children's Day festival
What is Kodomo no hi?
Kodomo no hi is celebrated on 05 May each year. It is part of the Golden Week celebrations and has been celebrated since 1948. The festival is intended to encourage the strength and good growth of children. The focal point of the festival is the flying of carp windsocks outside the home. The largest one symbolises the father of the house, the second one the mother, and the smaller ones are one for each child. Prior to 1948, the festival was called Tango no sekku (Boy's Day) and was originall...

Hinamatsuri -- Japanese Girls' Day festival
What is the Hinamatsuri festival?
Hinamatsuri (literally "Girls' Day") is celebrated on 03 March each year. The festival is intended to bring luck and good fortune to the daughters of the household. The focal point of the festival is a tiered platform displaying a set of ornamental dolls which represents the Emperor, Empress, attendants, and musicians of a Heian period court. These sets range from simple to ornate and expensive, and are often handed down and expanded in the family over the years.

Japanese O-bon festival Bon Odori dances
What is Bon Festival?
Obon is a Japanese celebration honouring one's ancestors. It is a time for families to clean the graves of the departed and leave offerings so their spirits do not become hungry. This is much like other Day of the Dead celebrations around the world. O-bon is celebrated on 15 July with the Bon Odori ("Bon Dances") which vary by region. Additionally, lighted paper lanterns are set afloat to guide the dead back to their families.

Japanese Tanabata star festival
What is Tanabata?
Tanabata is the Japanese Star Festival, celebrated each 07 July. It is based on the Chinese legend of Orihime and Kengyu, two lovers separated for all time. The lovers are represented by the stars Vega and Altair in the night sky; these stars are separated by the Milky Way. They can only meet one day each year on the seventh of July, and only if it is not raining. The main custom of the Tanabata feast is to write one's deepest wish on a strip of paper, then hang it from a stand of bamboo in ...