ぷうぺんのお菓子屋さん

Tango-no-Sekku (Boy's Festival)

On May 5,families with a boy put up carp streamers and display doll warriors,Kintaro dolls,

armor and war helmet decorations and similar and offerings to the gods,with chimaki(cake

wrapped in bamboo leaves)and kashiwa-mochi(rice cake wrapped in oak leaves).

People often a bath scented with iris leaves .

The form of the Boys'Festival,as it is held today,is said to have originated in the families

of bushi in the Edo Era.According to Chinese tradition of all fishes,only the carp was able

to leap the waterfall known as Ryumon located in a rapid stream of the Yellow River and then

turn into a dragon,meaning the carp became a symbol of sochial success.

Doll warriors and war helmet decorations express generals and are symbols of success in life

and thus also symbolizes strength. Parents display hero who was storng enough as to beat a

bear in a sumo wrestling and great strength.Parents display Kintaro dolls to wish their sons

healty growth.

Shobu is the Japanese word for iris but has two homonyms; one fo whichi means martial spirit

and the other, a fight. Iris has also long been used as a medicinal harb. By taking a bath to

whichi the leaves and roots of this plant are added,people hoped that noxious vapors would be

driven out from the body and their children would have sound health.

Boys'Festibal,people have chimaki to avoid evil in line with the Chinese tradition.

Oak,whose leaves are used to wrap kashiwa-mochi,does not drop old leaves before sending out

new shoots.Because of this,people believe that if you eat Kashiwa-mochi,you will never die

before your child is born,will always have an heir and your descendants will prosper.

This is why kashiwa-mochi began to be eaten at the Boys'Festival.

O-higan (Equinoctial Week)

People paid respect to the Sun and Ancestors at the turning point of seasons.

Ancient Japanese associated setting of the sun at due west on equinoctial days with the

belief of Pure Land of Unbending Delight in the West, and in spring,prayed to the Sun,the god

of benefaction, for a good crop and in the fall thanked it for a good harvest;at the same time

,worshiped deified spirits of ancestors as guardians during these occasions.

People might have sensed that the sun on the day of shun-bun and shuh-bun had a special

power.In the Edo period,this custom was mixed with a memorial services for the ancestors

and further combined with higan-e-hoyo,one of the Buddhism ceremonies,or a visit to the

grave.This custom developed into visiting the grave of family ancestors on the days of

higan(equinoctial week).

Hina-Matsuri (Girls' Festival)

On March 3,parents wish their daughters'healthy growth and happiness by displaying

traditional dolls at home. This festibal is said to have its origins in the hiina-asobi,

the name given to the play enjoyed by the children of noble families in the court in the

Heian Era(794-1192)where paper dolls(called hiina)and various accessories were used.

Later in the Edo Era (1603-1867),luxurilus best quality ceramic dolls began to be used

in place of traditional paper dolls. In addition,reflecting court life,people stated to

display Enperor and Empress dolls,dolls of the Minister of the Left and Right,three court

lady dolls(or three wise women dolls),five musician dolls,and guard dolls as well as tea

ceremony utensils and other beautiful accessories.

There is no rule about how to celebrate Hina-Matsuri but in general,parents having a

daughter invite their parents,friends,relatives,andclose neighbors to celebrate the event

with them.They display dolls and accessories on the tiered stand and serve guests traditional

dishes for the occasion,including chirashi-zushi(garnished sakura-mochi,hishi-mochi and

hina-arare).Today,childre's favorite food,as well as dishes and dishes and drinks that

adults can enjoy,are generally served.

Hard-shell clams are representative of bivalves,and in Japan,it is said that because one

of the two shells of a hard-shell clam never matches the shells of any other hard-shell

clam,this shellfish will help girls find a good husband in future.