Koinobori Carp Streamers

From our garden I can see strange giant fish swimming in the sky.

“Mum, what’s that!?”

“Ah, that’s ‘Koinobori’,” my mum said and went on: “We put up carp-shaped streamers called koinobori outside the house in honour of Children’s Day, or Boys’ Day, on May 5.”

“I’ve never seen koinobori before, Mum.”

“I know. The carp symbolizes courage and strength because of its ability to swim up a waterfall, er . . . expressing hope that each boy in the family will grow up healthy and strong. Our next-door neighbour has a newborn babe boy, K-kun. That’s why,” she explained.

There are a lot of festivals or events in Japan one after another – the New Year’s Day, the Doll Festival, Cherry blossom Festival, the Boys’ Festival, and er . . . I wonder what comes next . . .