Happy Children's Day!

Happy Kodomo no hi こどものひ、おめでとう！(Japan) and Happy Eorininal 행복한 어린이날! (Korea) to all our Japanese and Korean students at DPS!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is Children's Day?  Children's day is celebrated on May 5th in Japan and Korea, and is a public holiday all about celebrating children!! On this national holiday, children are respected and honored for their individual strengths, and happiness is wished upon them. It reflects the high value that families in Korea and Japan place on children, and the fact that they are the future leaders of the country.

Japanese Traditions: On Children's day, Koinobori, or cloth carp streamers, are flown on poles outside of public buildings and private houses to bring luck and good fortune to the children inside. Koinobori symbolize the desire for children to become brave and strong individuals.

Japanese children eat sweets, kashiwa-mochi and chimaki on Children's day.  Kashiwa, or oak trees are strong, so they eat this rice cake to get strong!

Korean Traditions: Parents take their children to attend special events in public parks, fairs, zoos, and theme parks. There are parades to participate in and watch. Children play various traditional games and get presents from parents and other special people in their lives.