Koi nobori

At the beginning of May in Japan, four national holidays within seven days combine to create Golden Week, when everybody travels because they can take more than a weekend off work.

April 29th is Showa Day, after the late emperor. May 3rd is Constitution Memorial Day and May 4th has been designed Nature Day (midori no hi, green day). May 5th is officially Children's Day, but since March 3rd is already Girls Day, May 5th is actually Boys Day!

(outside Kokura Castle)

In Japan the carp (koi) symbolises strength and determination, so it was chosen to wish for the success of little boys. From mid-April until the end of May, numerous "koi nobori" fly in the wind outside houses with sons. Koi nobori are fish-shaped banners of various sizes and colours, and their floating in the wind represents the fishes bravely swimming upstream.

In nature, fishes usually go back upstream to breed and often die in the process, but that aspect is left out of Boys Day.

(Shimonoseki)

Koi nobori can also be seen hanging in parks, official buildings and "depa-to", department stores. You can buy koi nobori candies, toys, paper models, etc.

After Golden Week, the next national migration will occur in August, for O-Bon festival (celebration of the ancestors), before the end-of-year craziness when all able Japanese go back to their hometown for January 1st.