|
Children's day at the Japanese Garden
May 22, 2008
In Japan, Children's Day (kodomo no hi) celebrates the healthy growth and happiness of children and honors their mothers. It became a national holiday in 1948, but has been a day of celebration in Japan since ancient times. Children's Day will be celebrated in Seattle from 11 a.m.to 3 p.m. on Monday, May 26 at the Japanese Garden, 1075 Lake Washington Boulevard East.
Schedule
11 a.m.: Energetic Koto Solos, Sixteen year old Brian Falconer will play energetic music, including his own compositions, on the Japanese koto. Falconer combines his years of classical koto training with rock, pop, and his own creativity.
Noon: Combative Arts Demonstration (Nihon Kobujitsu Enbu). A demonstration of several classical Japanese combative systems and weapons.
1 p.m.: Storytelling and Puppetry, Elizabeth Falconer. Gather around the big koto dragon and hear tales from Japan, as Falconer combines puppetry, stories, and music.
2 p.m.: Traditional Dance, Fujima Fujimine and students perform the dances "Seki no Koman."
On Children's Day in Japan, families with boys fly huge carp-shaped streamers (koinobori) outside the house and display dolls of famous warriors and other heroes inside. The carp was chosen because it symbolizes strength and success; according to a Chinese legend, a carp swam upstream to become a dragon.
Also on this day, many participants take baths sprinkled with iris leaves and roots, as the iris is thought to promote good health. Celebrants also eat rice cakes wrapped in oak leaves and filled with sweet bean paste, called kashiwamochi.
|
