In Japan,many people visit shrines on New Year’s Day to pray for happiness in the New Year.And there people draw lots called omikuji to learn their fortune.On New Year’s Day,Japanese people eat rice cakes boiled with vegetables called zouni.
Children also enjoy kite-flying.This is called takoage and is the traditional Japanese children’s activity on New Year’s Day.Takoage was introduced from China during the Heian Period (794 to 1192) and developed in the Edo Period (1603 to 1867) as a children’s activity.
Kite-flying was originally an event for adults on Tango no Sekku (which means Boy’s Festival).And it is said that the origin of kite- fling goes back to ancient Greece,around 400 B.C.
Children used to enjoy kite-flying in a dry riverbed or open field,but there is less space for it in contemporary cities as there are so many buildings.When I was a child,I couldn’t enjoy kite-flying because there wasn’t enough space near my house.
Japanese kites are made of paper glued on to a thin bamboo frame.They are pulled with strings and flown high up in the sky using the force of the wind.Many kites have letters or pictures on them.Pictures of a samurai or a kabuki actor,or the face of an ogre are popular.Square kites,hexagonal ones and yakko-dako shaped kites are popular.In China,kites in the shapes of animals are flown.In England or Brazil,kites in the shape of birds are flown.In Europe,kites were used in practical ways such as in the study of lightning.
There are so many kind of kites all over the world and in Japan.Isn’t that really something?Some day,I want to enjoy kite-flying on New Year’s Day. In Japan,many people visit shrines on New Year’s Day to pray for happiness in the New Year.And there people draw lots called omikuji to learn their fortune.On New Year’s Day,Japanese people eat rice cakes boiled with vegetables called zouni.
Children also enjoy kite-flying.This is called takoage and is the traditional Japanese children’s activity on New Year’s Day.Takoage was introduced from China during the Heian Period (794 to 1192) and developed in the Edo Period (1603 to 1867) as a children’s activity.
Kite-flying was originally an event for adults on Tango no Sekku (which means Boy’s Festival).And it is said that the origin of kite- fling goes back to ancient Greece,around 400 B.C.
Children used to enjoy kite-flying in a dry riverbed or open field,but there is less space for it in contemporary cities as there are so many buildings.When I was a child,I couldn’t enjoy kite-flying because there wasn’t enough space near my house.
Japanese kites are made of paper glued on to a thin bamboo frame.They are pulled with strings and flown high up in the sky using the force of the wind.Many kites have letters or pictures on them.Pictures of a samurai or a kabuki actor,or the face of an ogre are popular.Square kites,hexagonal ones and yakko-dako shaped kites are popular.In China,kites in the shapes of animals are flown.In England or Brazil,kites in the shape of birds are flown.In Europe,kites were used in practical ways such as in the study of lightning.
There are so many kind of kites all over the world and in Japan.Isn’t that really something?Some day,I want to enjoy kite-flying on New Year’s Day.