THE FEAST OF FLAGS.
The fifth of May is the great day for boys in Japan. It is called the Feast of Flags.
Everywhere poles with gold paper balls on the top may be seen. Paper flags of all colors fly from these.
The boys get up early on the day of the Feastof Flags. They go to the room where the dolls had their feast.
Now the room is filled with flags, toy soldiers, and the games that boys like. Their grandfathers and great-grandfathers played with some of these.
All day long the boys play at war with their soldiers. Sometimes they go into the garden and shoot at straw soldiers.
On the morning of the Feast of Flags each father gives his son a paper fish.
Every one in the house stands near while the boy ties this to a string. Then they watch him raise it to the top of the pole which is set before the house.
The wind fills out the hollow body of the fish. It pulls at the end of the string as if it were alive.
The name of this fish is the carp. It is so strong that it can swim very fast and even jump over waterfalls.
In America, fathers tell their sons to be brave and strong like the eagle. But in Japan, they tell them to be brave and strong like the carp.