Our class celebrated Children’s Day with the help of the mom of Liam and Rhys, Amanda Cooper. Her husband, Brad, is originally from Hawaii with Native Hawaiian, Irish and Japanese roots. This is a holiday celebrated in Hawaii, originating in Japan. Initially there was a Day for Girls and a Day for Boys, which later combined into one special day celebrated on May 5th.
Mrs. Cooper brought books with lots of pictures of the celebration of the Children’s Day for the children to see. Liam and Rhys brought their own Yukata, a traditional robe for boys in Japan, and showed their classmates how they are worn. The boys also showed us their own special carp flag. They gave all their classmates a carp flag flown in from Hawaii by the Cooper grandparents that made the children so happy. The carp flag symbolizes Children’s Day. The myth says that the carp fish would swim upstream and eventually turn into a dragon. Therefore, the carp is used because it represents the strength of our youth. To cap off the visit, Mrs. Cooper shared with us some pineapples as snack. Liam and Rhys were so proud to show us part of their heritage.
