Children's Day (Japan)

Children's Day
Children's Day
	Koinobori: The black carp (Magoi) at the top represents the father, the red carp (Higoi) represents the mother, and the last carp represents the child (traditionally son), with an additional carp added for each subsequent child with color and position denoting their relative age.
Official name	子供の日 (Kodomo no hi)
Observed by	Japan
Type	Public
Significance	Celebrates children's personalities and their happiness
Celebrations	A public holiday in Japan
Observances	It was designated a national holiday by the Japanese government in 1948, but has been a day of celebration in Japan since ancient times
Date	May 5
Next time	5 May 2025
Frequency	Annual
Related to	Golden Week (Japan), Tango no Sekku, Duanwu Festival, Dano Festival, Tết Đoan Ngọ

Children's Day (こどもの日, Kodomo no hi) is a public holiday in Japan which takes place annually on May 5 and is the final celebration in Golden Week. It is a day set aside to respect children's personalities and to celebrate their happiness. It was designated a national holiday by the Japanese government in 1948, but has been a day of celebration in Japan since ancient times.^[2]^[3]

Children's Day has officially been a day to wish for the happiness of both male and female children since 1948,^[2]^[3] but its origin, Tango no Sekku, was a day for boys from the Kamakura period in the 12th century to the mid-20th century, and the customs of Children's Day still retain vestiges from that time.^[4]

^ Perkins, Dorothy (1991). Encyclopedia of Japan: Japanese History and Culture, from Abacus to Zori. Facts on File. p. 46. ISBN 9780816019342. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference kids was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference Japan Society was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference yurai was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Perkins1991-1] Perkins, Dorothy (1991). Encyclopedia of Japan: Japanese History and Culture, from Abacus to Zori. Facts on File. p. 46. ISBN 9780816019342. Retrieved May 3, 2018.

[kids-2] Cite error: The named reference kids was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Japan_Society-3] Cite error: The named reference Japan Society was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[yurai-4] Cite error: The named reference yurai was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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Children's Day
Koinobori: The black carp (Magoi) at the top represents the father, the red carp (Higoi) represents the mother, and the last carp represents the child (traditionally son), with an additional carp added for each subsequent child with color and position denoting their relative age.^[1]
Official name	子供の日 (Kodomo no hi)
Observed by	Japan
Type	Public
Significance	Celebrates children's personalities and their happiness
Celebrations	A public holiday in Japan
Observances	It was designated a national holiday by the Japanese government in 1948, but has been a day of celebration in Japan since ancient times
Date	May 5
Next time	5 May 2025 (2025-05-05)
Frequency	Annual
Related to	Golden Week (Japan), Tango no Sekku, Duanwu Festival, Dano Festival, Tết Đoan Ngọ