A RAD HOMO

Todays is BOYS DAY
May 5th

I know its also Cinco De Mayo -- bah hum bug....adios...anyhow when I was growing up it was boys day!

Today is Childrens’ Day in Japan—a day replacing Boys’ Day (which once claimed May 5) and Girls' Day in that country.

In Hawaii, though, we still believe a single shared day is far too brief to celebrate the many wonderful things about BOTH genders. Plus, we love a good party. And so we celebrate Girls’ Day on March 3 (3/3), and Boys’ Day today (5/5).

Drive through neighborhoods and suburbs in Hawaii today and you’ll see koinobori—colorful carp streamers “swimming” the tradewinds on bamboo poles outside homes. Count the number of carp on the poles and you’ll know how many boys reside in each home. The largest carp honors the oldest boy, the smallest carp the youngest. According to Joan Namkoong’s book Family Traditions in Hawaii, koi (carp in Japanese) symbolize masculinity. It’s a tough fish, believed to swim upstream through currents, scale waterfalls and still live a long life. All of these good qualities to prevail upon a young man.Male dolls representing heroic warriors—replete with body armor, weapons and helmets—are given and displayed. Kashiwa mochi—a bean-filled rice cake wrapped in an oak leaf—and chimaki mochi—same thing, wrapped in bamboo leaves—are often given to the men of the house.