You may have seen a fish wind sock flying in the sky in the USA. Ii is called “Koi-nobori” in Japanese. The fish is a carp. Why carp? A Chinese folk tale tells that a carp which swam the rapid falls up to the top became a dragon. A dragon is a symbol of good luck.
In Japan, carp wind socks fly only around the 5th of May. Until the recently, the 5th of May was called Boys’ day. Now it is called Children’s day and is a national holiday. Parents who have the first son display carp wind socks wishing their son will be strong like a carp that swims against difficulty and reaches the top.
The calendar date was based on the old Chinese calendar. The origin of the date goes back to over three thousand years of the Ying Yang duality. The Yin Yang duality includes the numbers, too. Odd numbers are considered Yang while even numbers are considered Yin. Odd numbers are considered good luck numbers. However, the old Chinese calendar of May, the fifth month, was about the time of changing seasons when weather was not stable and people got sick or even died. The Chinese did a spiritual ceremony to purify this bad luck on the 5th day of the fifth month. This specific date of two odd numbers becomes an even number by an addition (5 + 5 = 10) and is Yin which is considered bad luck. Thus the spiritual ceremony purified the date as well. Eventually, it came to Japan and Japan adapted it to its cultural practices for Boys’ day.
A set of carp wind socks includes a streamer at the top, and carps for the parents and first son. Today, colors of a streamer vary but traditionally a streamer has five colors from the five natural elements: blue or green (wood); red (fire); yellow (earth); white (metal); and black (water). A black carp is a father. A red carp is a mother, and a blue carp is the first son. If more sons are born, more carps are added.
The ancient practice has been continued today for the wish of parents and will be continued to future generations!
Home Esteem 