In Japan, kids enjoy a special celebration each year on May 5th. It’s called Children’s Day. On the morning of the festival, each child starts the day with a bath that is filled with iris leaves, which the Japanese believe will protect the child from illness and will give him or her strength. During the day, children fly kites, wear traditional clothing including a kimono, and eat tasty rice cakes wrapped in bamboo leaves. Boys display their Samurai warrior dolls, which they received at birth. The dolls are a symbol of courage and fearlessness.

Previously, only boys celebrated this day, but now girls enjoy the day, too. Families hang colorful kites and streamers from bamboo poles outside their homes. Each person in the family is represented by a kite. The kites are in the shape of a carp, which is a freshwater fish. The Japanese believe that the carp is a symbol of strength and determination because it must swim against strong currents, jumping high out of the water, to reach its spawning ground where it will mate. It is a hardy fish that overcomes many obstacles during the difficult journey to its final destination. Japanese parents believe that the carp is a good example for their children, especially boys, to learn the importance of having persistence to achieve success. That is the reason why families participate in this festival. Of course, having fun is important, too.

Watching the colorful carp kites, attached to bamboo poles, blow in the breeze is a sight to see. It almost looks as if the carp are swimming against the current, as the wind rushes through their open mouths, making their bodies wriggle about in the airy stream. In addition to placing the carp kites outside the home for the festival, kids like to fly their own carp kites. The kite is attached to a pole or stick. The child runs, holding the pole in the air so the carp can swim in the breeze. It is a wonderful day for families to be with one another and for parents to celebrate their children.

So where did kites come from? No one knows for sure, but historians believe that kites may have been around for more than 2,000 years. They probably had their start in China and Korea and made their way to Japan around the sixth century. The Japanese created new and interesting kite shapes, such as dragons, fish, and cranes. These and other kite-shaped animals had important meanings. One meant luck, another prosperity, while another helped chase away bad spirits. Kites may have been flown as part of religious ceremonies. Some were flown to ask for a good harvest and to say thanks when the harvest was plentiful. Eventually, the idea of kite-flying spread to many other parts of the world. The Polynesians used kites to communicate with the gods. The Japanese, Korean, and Thai cultures flew kites to ask that the monsoons would come to help with farming by irrigating the fields. Ben Franklin, the U.S. statesman, inventor, philosopher, and scientist, used a kite and a metal key for a science experiment to see if lightening was an electrical current in nature. It was, indeed.

You don’t have to be Japanese to make or fly your own carp kite. By following these easy directions, you can create a colorful carp kite and have your own Children’s Day celebration with your family.

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• bright-colored tissue paper (the kind used inside a gift box or gift bag), 20 by 26 inches (51 by 66 cm)
• ruler
• pencil
• scissors
• permanent markers in a variety of colors
• scraps of wrapping paper
• glue stick and Elmer’s® glue
• glitter in a variety of colors
• 1 sheet of construction paper in any color, 9 by 12 inches (23 by 30.5 cm)
• one-hole punch
• yarn or string
• 1 stick about 24 inches (61 cm)*
• masking tape (optional)

*Find a branch that has fallen from a tree. Do not break one off a tree.

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2. Use any color marker to draw your carp shape starting at the top, short edge. Make sure the mouth of your carp is wide, as shown.

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3. Keep the tissue paper folded as you cut out the carp following the outline you drew. Open the tissue paper carp shape and lay it flat on your work surface. Use different colored markers to draw the eyes, the scales, or any other designs you’d like. Decorate your carp with cut-out pieces of wrapping paper. You can use these pieces for the scales. Glue the bottom row of scales first, then glue the next row above the bottom row, and so on until you reach the top row of scales. Each new row of scales will overlap the previous row.

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Let the glue dry completely before you do the next step.

4. Finish decorating your carp with glitter. It’s easier if use the glue. Squeeze a thin line of glue on the tissue paper, then sprinkle some glitter on the glue line. Wait about a minute or so, then tilt the tissue paper so that the excess glitter falls away from the glue line. Save this glitter to use another time.

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5. Cut a strip from the construction paper 1 by 12 inches (2.5 by 30.5 cm) long. Turn the tissue paper carp wrong side faceup. Glue the strip of construction paper along the top inside edge. Use the glue stick for this. Let the glue dry completely.

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6. With the hole punch, make three holes along the strip, spaced as shown.

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7. Glue the two inside open edges of the carp together, as shown. Do not glue the two tail edges together. They must remain open so air can flow through the carp. Let the glue dry completely.

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9. Your carp kite is ready. Be careful, though. Since it’s not made of material, it could tear if you use it in a strong wind. You can also hang the kite in your room. It will make a great decorative wall hanging. Oh, and don’t forget to clean up when you’re finished.

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