Children's Day

On the fifth day of the fifth month, the citizens of Japan celebrate a day that they call Children's Day. This is a day in which adults do everything they can to give their children happiness and respect their emerging personalities.

It is a big difference for how May 5th is celebrated in America, by getting drunk and partying on Cinco de Mayo, instead of partying like an adult, the people of Japan party like children, which after a whole week off for Golden Week, isn't very hard to do.

Originally this day was called Boy's Day because there already is a Girl's Day on March 3rd (the third day of the third month, am I detecting a pattern here?), but in 1948, the Japanese government officially changed the name of this holiday to Children's Day.

Carp banners are flown on this day because of the Chinese legend that carps swim upstream to become dragons. Another symbol of Children's Day are Kintaro dolls, usually riding a carp while wearing a Japanese military helmet.

Kintaro is an old Japanese fairy tale about a boy with enormous strength and has since gone on to embody the health and virility of a young boy.

People traditionally eat mochi rice cakes wrapped in oak leaves. Mochi is really sweet cake with red bean jelly in the center, they are delicious.

...and no, you are not supposed to eat the oak leaf. Of course, nobody told me until it was too late.