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This Japanese Carp shaped (koinobori flags) Kite has seen better days. May be it is the harsh weather condition in Auckland that has rendered it to tatters.
When my girls were little, D wanted to have one after we read on G's birthday fifth of may that it was children's day in Japan.
I was in a generous mood, and went to buy the material to make a golden carp. Yes, she wanted a gold one. I made it in a generous portion. It was a yard long, and the mouth six inches wide.
We got a long bamboo pole and hung it at the back yard. We cheered when it fluttered in the wind. Alas, not long after that, we left for Singapore and we gave the koinobori to a friend.
Children's Day is a Japanese national holiday which takes place annually on May 5, the fifth day of the fifth month, and is part of the Golden Week. It is a day set aside to respect children's personalities and to celebrate their happiness. It was designated a national holiday by the Japanese government in 1948.
In the past Japanese families raise the carp-shaped koinobori flags (carp because of the Chinese legend that a carp that swims upstream becomes a dragon, and the way the flags blow in the wind looks like they are swimming), one for each boy (or child)
3 comments:
I remember in elementary school, during an English comprehension paper, we read about the Carp Festival in Japan. I can imagine how these streamers will look when they are blown by the wind.
Great post about the Carp flags and the legend of the carp. I love the composition of your photo. Great shot.
great kite
Sydney - City and Suburbs
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