Customs of Children's Day

Children's Day in countries around the world

Japan: Children's Day three times a year

Japan is the country that celebrates Children's Day the most in the world, they celebrate it three times a year, and the way of celebrating it is very interesting and full of strong Japanese flavor.

-March 3, Girls' Day

This festival is dedicated to little girls in Japan, and on this day, parents with daughters at home will set up a display table with beautiful dolls dressed in kimono as a holiday gift for their daughters.

-May 5 Boys' Day

In order to bless the health and happiness of the boys in their families, on this day every Japanese family will use paper or cloth to make brightly colored ribbons shaped like carp, and then string these ribbons on bamboo poles and tie them together with golden windmills and hang them on the roof. The reason for this is that the Japanese believe that the carp has the most spirit and vitality, and hope that all the boys in the family will look like carp, so this day is also known as "Carp Day".

Japanese parents also place dolls in their homes on this day, but they are dressed as samurai warriors and look scary.

-November 15: Children's Day

Three, five and seven years old are particularly lucky ages for children in Japanese custom, so this day is celebrated with much fanfare every year for these three ages.

On this day, children dress in their best traditional kimono and carry a small paper bag filled with sweets and toys bought by their parents and painted with pine trees, turtles or cranes. After dressing up, the parents take the children to a Japanese shrine to pray and thank the gods for their health and happiness.

Colombia: Masks, clowns for Children's Day

The Central American country of Colombia has designated July 4 as Children's Day every year. During this holiday, schools across the country hold a variety of lively celebrations, and children often wear a variety of masks and dress up as clowns to play in the streets, very happy.

Brazil: Health comes first with a visit to the doctor

Brazil's Children's Day is celebrated on August 15, which also happens to be the country's National Epidemic Prevention Day. Therefore, on this day, doctors from all over the country visit children and give vaccines against polio to children under the age of 5, showing that the government is very concerned about children's health. In Brazil, Oct. 12, the day of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary, is also often celebrated as Children's Day, with a number of events taking place across the country.

South Korea: Mobile phones a favorite for colorful gifts

Children's Day in South Korea is May 5, and every year before the holiday, parents in South Korea prepare gifts for their children that they would like to have the most, and major department stores have a variety of promotional activities.

While the best gifts in parents' minds are usually more practical things such as books, clothes and toys, as society progresses and develops, some related surveys have found that the most desired Children's Day gift for more and more Korean children is a cell phone, followed by game consoles, toys, pets, computers and books.

Sweden: "Boys' Day" vs. "Girls' Day"

The European country of Sweden also divides Children's Day into smaller parts, with August 7 each year being "Boys' Day", also known as "Boys' Day". On this day, children dress up as lobsters and perform some very lively and cute shows.

December 13 is Sweden's "Girls' Day", also known as "Lucia Goddess Day". Lucia is a Swedish goddess who protects girls, and on this day, girls dress up as goddesses and do good things for other children.

Russia: International Children's Day was born here

Russia's Children's Day, which falls on June 1, coincides perfectly with the international holiday. When Children's Day comes around, children all over Russia celebrate it with gusto, performing folk songs and dances, and holding celebrations in schools.

In fact, the origin of Children's Day has an important connection with Russia: in November 1949, the Women's International Democratic Federation (WIDF) held a meeting of its board of directors in Moscow, at which delegates from various countries angrily exposed the crimes of the imperialists and reactionaries who had brutally murdered and gassed children in various countries. In order to guarantee the right to survival, health care and education of children in all countries of the world, and to improve their lives, the conference decided to adopt June 1 every year as International Children's Day.

India: Special Anniversary as Children's Day

India will be the first post-independence government of Prime Minister Shunyaru's birth anniversary of November 14 as Children's Day, in this special day, the children of India will have a variety of ethnic flavor of the dance, music performances, the government will also come forward to organize some celebration activities.

Islamic countries: Happy Sweets Day

Most Islamic countries celebrate the 14th day of Ramadan as Sweets Day, which is the happiest day of the year for children. "The festival usually lasts for three days, and the children go in groups to every house in the neighborhood to ask for sweets. According to local folklore, adults cannot refuse the children's requests, so the children always return to their homes full of sweets on this day.

Africa: Children's Carnival lasts for a month

Most countries in western Africa have a special "Children's Carnival", which often lasts for a month. Africans have always been able to sing and dance, and during the Children's Carnival, all children have fun and make a lot of noise, despite their different living conditions.

Iraq: No Children's Day

But Iraqi children are much more miserable than those in the countries mentioned above. While children in many countries celebrate Children's Day, most Iraqi children don't even know that there's a festival of their own in the world. They continue as usual, either attending school, working in workshops or begging on the streets.

Some Iraqis have revealed that during Saddam's more than 20 years in power, June 1 was designated as Iraq's oil nationalization day. On this day, various celebrations are held throughout Iraq, but they have nothing to do with children, so the children do not celebrate Children's Day.

On the neglected Children's Day, there is no festive atmosphere in Iraqi kindergartens and elementary schools, and naturally there are no celebrations.

Children's Day in other countries

Singapore Children's Day: Oct. 1

British Children's Day: July 14

Indonesian Children's Day: July 23

Cuban Children's Day: July 6

Turkish Children's Day: April 23

Thai Children's Day: the second Saturday of January each year

China defines children under 14 as children