5th May is celebrated as one of the Japanese National Holidays so-called “Children’s Day”.

In this holiday, many Japanese eat the traditional Japanese confection, “Kashiwa-mochi”, rice cake containing sweet soy paste wrapped in an oak leaf. Kashiwa-mochi is believed as a symbol of prosperity of their descendants.

Children’s day is originally derived from the Chinese ceremony to drive away evil spirits.
In May of old Chinese calendar, illness was prone to be spread. In China, there are some traditions to display iris in front of door or drink an iris-soaked alcohol.
Japan has the similar custom. The Japanese pronouns of iris “Shoubu” has the other two meanings. One is “Samurai” and another one is “Competition”.

In addition, the shape of iris bud is similar to the Samurai sword. These facts seems to make Children’s day as the celebration to hope vigor and energy of children.

In Children’s day, Carp-Shaped Banners are raised.

This custom is also originated from the Chinese folk tale. In the folk story, the carps that could swim up the waterfall called as “dragon gate” would become dragon. So carp-shaped streamer had created based on the wish for children’s growth and advance like the carp becoming dragon.

On the Kiyomizu river in Kanaya area, 600 carp-shaped banners are risen like as shown in below.

These banners will be risen till the end of June.
Kanaya area is famous as one of tea estates in Shizuoka. We can look tea gardens on a mountain over the carp-shaped steamers.

In some parks, we can see the nice view of carps on the sky or pond like the below.

These customs represent people’s wish for children’s healthy growth.
I hope teas will help children’s healthy growth and benefit them!!