Today is the last day of Golden Week in Japan, so that means its Children’s Day. Here at the Orlando Automotive Family, we’re here to give you the low down on some of the holidays celebrated during Golden Week. We’ll even talk about some ways you could celebrate the meanings behind the holidays all without leaving Orlando.
Greenery Day
Greenery Day is celebrated as a day to celebrate nature, and to be thankful for blessings. It is also a way to acknowledge a controversial wartime emperor’s love for plants without mentioning his name. You can easily connect with nature at the Harry P. Leu Gardens in Orlando. Enjoy a walk through the vibrant and be sure to look at the calendar for events like Movie Night!
Shōwa Day
Honoring the birthday of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito), this day is supposed to encourage public reflection on the 63 years of Hirohito’s reign, which is considered to be a turbulent reign. This holiday is atypical to the ones we celebrate, as it doesn’t celebrate at all. It doesn’t aim to glorify Hirohito, but rather aims to advocate observation of all the events that occurred during his reign. You can pay remembrance to our history in many different ways. This includes visiting the Orlando Veterans Memorial Park that honors the Daughters of the American Revolution, United States Marine Corp, Italian American War Veterans of the United States, and more.
Constitutional Memorial Day
Constitutional Memorial Day is often chosen as a day to reflect on the meaning of democracy and Japanese government. The true meaning of this holiday is to celebrate the promulgation of the Constitution of Japan established in 1947. And though Orlando is a bit of a drive to Washington D.C., you can still learn about our state government and history at the Orange County Regional History Center.
Children’s Day
Children’s Day takes place on May 5. The number five holds deep meanings and philosophies including the six elements in Esoteric Buddhism in Japan, so this is why Children’s day is one of the most celebrated holidays in the country. The holiday is meant to celebrate the happiness of all children and to express gratitude toward parents. To celebrate, families fly carp-shaped koinobori flags to represent each family member. Mochi rice cakes that are filled with red bean jam and wrapped in Kashiwa leaves (oak leaves) called kashiwa-mochi are traditionally served during Children’s day. You may not be able to try Kashiwa-mochi outside of Children’s Day, but you can try a series of traditional Japanese foods at Sapporo Ramen located on Colonial.
The Orlando Automotive Family hopes that you’ve enjoyed this short lesson on the Japanese tradition of Golden Week!