1.
Boys' Day; the Tango Festival (May 5)
A traditional seasonal festival held on May 5, originally celebrating boys' growth and health. Now a national holiday under the name こどもの日 (Children's Day).
五月五日は端午の節句だ。
May 5 is the Tango Festival.
端午の節句には鯉のぼりを立てる。
On the Tango Festival, families fly carp streamers.
端午の節句に息子のために兜を飾り、ちまきを用意した。
For the Tango Festival I displayed a samurai helmet for my son and prepared chimaki rice dumplings.
Almost always appears as 端午の節句 (the Tango seasonal festival). The word 端午 alone is rare in modern speech. Note the homophone 単語 (vocabulary word) — completely different meaning, different kanji.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 端午の節句: the Tango Festival
- 端午の節句を祝う: to celebrate the Tango Festival
CULTURAL CONTEXT:
Traditional customs include flying 鯉のぼり (carp streamers), displaying 兜 (samurai helmets) or 五月人形 (warrior dolls), eating 柏餅 (oak-leaf mochi) and ちまき (sweet rice dumplings), and bathing in 菖蒲湯 (iris baths). Since 1948, May 5 has officially been こどもの日 (Children's Day) as a national holiday.