May Doll (五月人形)

April Dykes
5月5日
読了時間: 2分

If you read our earlier post about Hinamatsuri, you should know that March 5th is an important day for little girls. Hinamatsuri, known as Girl’s Day, is a Shinto holiday that focuses on praying for the health, prosperity, and happiness of girls under the age of 10. May 5th is an important holiday for little boys. May 5th is Kodomo no Hi, also known as Children’s Day. While the name may suggest it is for all children, it focuses on boys. Let’s check out the history.

According to Ningyo no Yoshifuku, Children’s Day originally fell on a holiday called Tango no Sekku. “...Tango no Sekku (also known as “Ayame no Hi”, or “Iris festival”) became more and more popular with samurai families as the rustling sound of Iris reminded many of the sound made when honoring warriors. This festival became an important day to pray for the safe and healthy growth of a boy born as the heir to the family, as well as pray for the general wealth and prosperity for the family” (Ningyo no Yoshifuku). However, after the end of the war, Tango no Sekku was turned into Children’s Day by the government in 1948.

While the holiday is for boys and girls, there are traditions from Tango no Sekku that are still used today:

Koi no bori
Gogatsu ningyo

Koi no bori, carp streamers, are hung outside of the homes that have male children. In general, koi no bori symbolizes success, health, and prosperity. The size and colors behind each streamer has an important meaning. The black car,p known as magoi, represents the father. The red carp, higoi, represents the mother. Prior to 1948, when Children’s Day was Tango no Sekku, the red carp represented the eldest son, followed by blue, green, and other colors. Today, the eldest child is represented by the blue carp.

Another Tango no Sekku tradition is the display of gogatsu ningyo, May dolls. According to Grape, “Gogatsu Ningyo(五月人形), literally translated as 'May Dolls', are displayed in Japanese houses in honor of the household’s newborn sons” (Grape). The gogatsu ningyo represents courage and power. Similarly to the hinamatsuri dolls, they are used for good fortune and to protect children from sickness and evil spirits. The dolls consist of helmets, armor, swords, and bows/arrows.