While many of you were tying one (or two, or three, or...) on last Friday in celebration of a long-ago battle in which the Mexican army beat back the French [yeah, no, it's not Mexican Independence Day, but you knew that, right?], parents of little nikkeijin boys were flying koi flags in their yards, displaying dolls on the mantle, and letting their sons mess around with plastic samurai swords in the name of culture. Okay, I'm sure there were dads who were doing both at the same time, 'cause who says margaritas and swords don't mix?
Yes, I'm talking about the other Cinco de Mayo holiday, Japanese Boy's Day. Yeah, I know, it no longer "officially" exists in the ancestral homeland, having been replaced by Children's Day, but here in America, the great-grandchildren of immigrants still fly colorful carp banners every May 5th, in the name of celebrating strong-willed (the swimming-upstream analogy) little boys. When I was growing up, we would put a koi flag in the backyard, put a little decorative-samurai-helmet-and-sword thing up on the mantle, and mom would give me and my hakujin dad presents (my family's big on gift-giving holidays).
So, to all you dads, sons, and dads of sons, Happy Boy's Day! [Sorry it's late—must've been the margaritas....]
1 comment:
Boy's day is a great thing, haha. We men are so underappreciated!!!
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