BYTE MARKS
Web gives insight into Boy's Day

By Burt Lum

Some traditions that exist in Hawai'i have faded into near obscurity in Japan and China.

Still, I rejoice when given the chance to witness traditions that date back thousands of years. It not only gives us a chance to celebrate our cultural diversity, but also gives us a chance to better understand our roots.

For example, in the Japanese tradition, tomorrow is Boy's Day. Every year on the fifth of May, many families — of Japanese ancestry and otherwise — hang carp flags and banners from poles to honor the boys in the family.

The Boy's Day tradition involves not only flying carp flags, but also eating special foods, displaying warrior dolls and recognizing familial protocols.

On the surface these traditions are annual rituals, but as with an iceberg, the real volume lies hidden and is contained in the ancient history dating to a time before medieval Japan.

Tracing the history of celebrations like Boy's Day is what the Internet was made for. I found several sites that provided great detail into the warrior dolls (www.akanezumiya.com/publications/mag3.htm), the evolution from Boy's Day to Children's Day and the Iris Festival (www.ginkoya.com/pages/childrensday.html), and references to a ceremony that originated in China and was later adopted in Japan, (www.pa.essortment.com/kodomonohijap_rnsd.htm).

Intrigued by this connection between Boy's Day and China, I called the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai'i's Resource Center (www.jcch.com/RCInformation.htm) to inquire about potential Chinese origins.

The info JCCH provided pointed to a 3 B.C.-era Chinese noble named Chu Yuan (www.mtc.ntnu.edu.tw/dragonboat/cy_history.htm) who drowned himself to protest injustices perpetrated against his people. This occurred on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.

Although Chu Yuan is unlikely to be the only influence leading to Boy's Day, it is interesting that this same noble is also credited as the reason the Chinese celebrate the Dragon Boat races. I would have never guessed the two were related. It goes to show how we are all connected.

Reach Burt Lum via www.roughtake.com.