In Japan, the first week of May marks a holiday season celebrated nowhere else in the world: Golden Week. Although made up of four separate national holidays, all but one have little cultural significance. Mostly, this week is a chance for Japanese workers to take a rare extended holiday. Although most people have the option to take annual leave, many avoid doing so because of social pressures. Whereas the biggest holiday of the year, New Year’s, comes with religious and familial duties, Golden Week has no such expectations. It is instead one of the busiest travel periods of the year, with a heavy emphasis on relaxation and enjoyment.
The only Golden Week holiday with current cultural weight is Children’s Day, which caps off the week. Many outside Japan will recognize the flying carp streamers that color the sky every year. This spring holiday actually dates as far back as the Nara period (710-794). Its first iteration was Tango no Sekku, the iris festival. This spring festival provided an opportunity to wish for health and luck in the new season. With the sword shaped leaves of the iris, the holiday gradually became important to samurai families. The characters for “iris leaves” and “martial spirit” are pronounced the same way, adding to the association of samurai culture with the holiday. Undergoing a similar change at the time was Momo no Sekku, the peach blossom festival, which gradually turned into Hinamatsuri, or Girl’s Day. In the Kamakura period (1185-1333) the festival shifted completely to celebrating young samurai, with displays of samurai helmets and weaponry, as well as flags of family crests and windsocks common on battlefields being erected on this day. During the peaceful Edo period (1603-1868), displaying traditional weaponry fell out of fashion, so paper samurai helmets and carp shaped windsocks replaced battle gear. Originating in a legend about a carp that swam upstream and became a dragon, the decorations represent strength and success, perfect for a day of praying for good futures for sons.
After the second world war, there was a complete rejection of any hints of militarism, and in 1948 the holiday was officially changed from Boy’s Day to Children’s Day, becoming more representative of celebrating families and mothers. Before the war, two carp windsocks, representing fathers and sons, would fly above houses around Japan, but as the country moved away from its patriarchal past, additional carps were added to represent mothers and siblings, becoming symbolic of the entire family unit.
The most iconic symbol of the holiday is the colorful carp flying through the streets, but there are also other ways people celebrate today. The two delicacies of the holiday are kashiwa mochi, a red bean filled mochi wrapped in a symbolic oak leaf, and chimaki mochi, sticky rice wrapped in a bamboo leaf cone. Because of both the medicinal properties and its reputation for warding off bad luck, taking an iris leaf bath is another popular way to celebrate the new year.
Over the centuries, this holiday has shifted and evolved around the culture of the time, but still remains widely celebrated today. Even for those reading from outside Japan, Children’s Day may provide an opportunity to reflect on the health and happiness of your family, celebrate the mothers in your community, and make time for a few restful moments in your day.