What is the origin of “May dolls” displayed on Dragon Boat Festival?(Gogatsuningyo)
Children’s Day (national holiday; May 5th)Boy’s Day celebration (May 5th)
Dolls are displayed on May 5, Tango-no Sekku, to wish for the healthy growth of children. Tango-no Sekku dates back to the Nara period (710-794), when irises were decorated to ward off misfortune and illness. The ritual spread from the Imperial Court to the warrior class, and then to the townspeople in the Edo period (1603-1867), when samurai picture banners and carp streamers were erected. In the late Edo period (1603-1867), it became established as a “first festival” to celebrate the birth of a boy. The custom of displaying helmets of armor, which originated in samurai society, has been handed down to the present. The armor and helmets are considered to “protect the body,” and the hope is that they will protect the child from traffic accidents and illnesses.
