Kite Festival

I went to the Ikazake Kite Festival yesterday with my "gang" (pictured above) to celebrate Kodomo no Hi (Childrens' Day). For those of you who don't know, childrens' Day is May 5th and celebrates the health and happiness of all children in Japan. It also coincides with "Tango no Sekku", Boys' Festival, which celebrates the virtues of strength and courage of all male children (see my April post on Hinna Matsuri for information about Girls' Festival). Families with sons usually hang kites in the shape of carp (called Koi Nobori) outside the house. For the Japanese, the carp symbolizes energy, vitality, and the ability to overcome obstacles (because carp swim upstream). Therefore the koi nobori represent the family's desire of these virtues of masculinity for their sons.
At this particular festival razors were attached to the strings of each kite. Teams battled each other by manuevering their kites (often by running across the river) and attempting to slice off the competition.