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Tango no Sekku (端午の節句)
The 5th of May is Kodomo-no-hi(こどもの日) /Children’s Day, one of several
Japanese National Holidays.
This holiday was enacted in
1948 as a celebration of the happiness of children
while also expressing gratitude to mothers. Traditionally, we also
celebrate Hina-mats-uri (ひな祭り) /the Girls’ Festival on March 3rd and
Tango-no Sekku (端午の節句)/ the Boys’ Festival on May 5th respectively. During
this season, you will see carp streamers fluttering in the wind and the
ornaments such as armors and helmets decorated at the alcove of houses. At
this
point we would like to introduce you to the
meaning and origins of Tango-no Sekku (端午の節句) and how it is celebrated in
the present day.
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The Meaning of Sekku
“Sekku” originally meant the ends of a season and so it became a holiday
to mark the changes of seasons. It can be inferred that there used to be
more “Sekku”, but the five remaining ones had been established as
important ones as far back as is known. They are Jinjitsu (Jan. 7), Joshi
(March 3), Tango (May 5), Shichiseki (June 7), and Choyo (Sep. 9). These
holiday names originated from the Chinese calendar. May 5 was considered
to be the beginning of summer or of the rainy season, so “Tango no Sekku”
was observed on that day.
The Origin of Tango no Sekku
The custom of “Sekku” was introduced to Japan along with other elements of
Chinese culture during the Nara Period (710-794), and then five Sekku
began to be celebrated in the Imperial court. They celebrated by
decorating the palace with “calamus” irises as good luck talismans, or by
serving out mugwort (a kind of medicinal herbs) to the court families and
to subjects. They also performed a ceremony to eradicate the demons which
were thought to bring misfortunes. Riders on the horsebacks shot at unseen
demons with arrows. This holiday was enthusiastically observed through out
the Nara Period and later the Heian Period (794-1192). |
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Ornaments of Tango no Sekku
During the Kamakura Period (1192-1333), Samurai family controlled Japan.
The Japanese word “shobu” means to honor military power or bravery. And
the “calamus” iris decorations that were used as talismans of good luck
during the “Tango no Sekku” ceremony are also called “shobu”. So “Tango no
Sekku” was changed to “Shobu no Sekku” ( a day for honoring power and
bravery ) by the Samurai. Armors and helmets, which were used for
protection in battle, began to be displayed as celebratory decorations.
In the Edo Period (1600-1868), the Tokugawa shogun settled May 5th as one
of the important Sekku. Whenever a boy baby was born to the shogun,
banners and flags were flown at the front entrance of the palace to
celebrate the event. This custom soon spread among the general public.
People were proud to act in the same way as the shogun and designed “koinobori”,
carp streamers.
But why carp? Because it was traditionally thought that the carp was very
vigorous, as related in a well- known Chinese legend. This legend
recounted that a carp swam its way up a rapid stream and furthermore
jumped up a waterfall and then turning into a dragon ascended into heaven.
Perhaps, parents lay the responsibility for their sons’ success in life
despite adversities on these carp streamers.
Tango no Sekku today
These days, carp streamers are rarely seen in urban areas because of the
limited area available for their display. To make up for this, local
government bodies or other public organizations put on “Koinobori
Festival” or similar related events in cooperation with the tourist
industry. They fly hundreds of carp streamers across a river or in an open
space, and hold various events relating to Tango no Sekku. Not so far from
Hitachi, you can see about a thousand carp streamers flying beside the
“Ryujinkyo” bridge in Suifu Village from April 24th until May 9th.
There are outside ornaments Koinobori(鯉のぼり)/carp streamers, Noboribata
(のぼり) /rise flag and inside ornaments Yoroi(鎧) /armor, Kabuto(兜) /helmetfor
the decoration of the Tango-no-Sekku.
Grandparents or parents purchase them to celebrate the birth of a newborn
baby boy.
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What are the dolls like?
Various dolls are lined up in the doll store. Each of them reminds us of a
lord of a samurai, brave and beautiful. The one with full items is shown
in the picture. The armor and the helmet are on the center, dressed to a
doll, the bow and the arrows are on the left hand side of the doll, and
the sword is on the right. Some of them even can be worn by a child. On
the other hand, the helmet inside a transparent case may be the simplest
type of display. The recommended way of showing a doll is to take a doll
out of a case or box and decorate, because it is considered good for
boys to go outside. The price of the doll varies from several thousand to
fifteen million yen, depending on the size, the number of items, and the
name of an artist. In many cases, a family and relatives dine together for
a boy’s festival. However in Hitachi, many people’s family members live in
different prefectures, so it is getting difficult relatives get together,
and to keep their tradition even though each of them has their way to
celebrate. Many young parents live in apartments which have little space
for a large gorgeous doll. It is often said they put the doll in the
closet and never let it out. In spite of this, parents would prepare
dishes to please children, or take their children out for a recreation on
the holiday.
The manager of Togetsu a doll shop in Hitachi said; “The doll does not
belong
to a child individually like a birthday or Xmas present. It is for
celebrating the birth of a baby boy and praying for his healthy growth
together with his family. This is the meaning of the Tango-no-Sek-ku”.(Top of
Hyotan) (home)
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