The koinobori festival
Koinobori festival for boys is held on the 5th of the 5th lunar month. On this holiday, every family with a son will hang up carp lanterns to wish the boys health, resilience and independence in life. Carp lanterns are usually made from 5 main colors: blue, red, black, green, purple blue.
Festival koinobori – carp lantern
When hanging carp lanterns, the Japanese often hang many lanterns on a clothesline. If there is a pond, the Japanese will hang the light near the water surface. If you hang a light in a Japanese home, you will build a light pole and hang it along the pole. Sometimes due to a tight space, the Japanese can only hang on a small stick and tie it up high.
Festival koinobori – carp lantern
The carp lanterns in Japan are not like other lanterns. This lamp does not have a candle in it, but only a lamp. The lamp is sewn with a carp pattern printed on the inside, hollow inside to catch the wind. The lamp mouth is also the mouth of the carp which is widened to catch the wind. When the wind comes, the light will fly up like a flag that looks like a swimming carp. That is why the carp lantern is also called the carp. During this festival, there is no regulation on the number of carp lights that will hang, but usually no family hangs only 1 carp lamp, but usually hangs at least 3-5. After the holiday for Japanese boys, they will carefully store the carp lanterns for the next year’s festival.
Festival koinobori – carp lantern
During the Koinobori festival, the Japanese often make mochi, obento or other dishes in the shape of carp to expect the boys to be like “carp beyond the five disciplines of dragon”.
The reason that the carp is chosen as a symbol in the holiday for boys is the image of a dragon. The Japanese believe that boys as well as carp who pass the five subjects will grow up. In addition, carp is also an animal, whether caught or cooked raw, it does not struggle like other fish, this shows resilience and strength in the face of death. This is the must-have quality of a samurai and is what the Japanese want boys to inherit this good quality.