, meaning "carp streamer" in Japanese, are carp

Carp

Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...

-shaped wind socks traditionally flown in Japan to celebrate , a traditional calendrical event which is now designated a national holiday; Children's Day. These wind socks are made by drawing carp patterns on paper, cloth or other nonwoven fabric. They are then allowed to flutter in the wind. They are also known as .

Children's Day takes place on May 5. Landscapes across Japan are decorated with koinobori from April to early May, in honor of sons and in the hope that they will grow up healthy and strong.

Description

A typical koinobori set consists of, from the top of the pole down, a pair of with a ball-shaped spinning vane, that looks like a windsock

Windsock

A windsock is a conical textile tube designed to indicate wind direction and relative wind speed. Windsocks typically are used at airports and at chemical plants where there is risk of gaseous leakage...

, a black koinobori and a red koinobori. If more boys are in the household, an additional blue, green and then, depending on the region, either purple or orange koinobori are added. The red koinoboris color can be varied as pink. These carp sets are flown above the roofs of houses with sons, with the biggest (black) koinobori for the father, next biggest (red) for the mother, and ranging down to the smallest carp for the youngest son.

These koinobori range from a few inches long to a few meters long. In 1988, a 100 m long koinobori weighing 350 kg was made in Kazo, Saitama

Kazo, Saitama

is a city located in Saitama, Japan.As of April 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 117,339, with a household number of 42,778, and a density of 879.14 persons per km²...

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Koinobori song

There is a famous short Koinobori Song often sung by children and their families:

Japanese:

屋根より高い鯉幟

大きい真鯉はお父さん

小さい緋鯉は子供たち

面白そうに泳いでる


Translation:

Higher than the roof-tops are the koinobori

The large Carp is the father

The smaller Carp are the children

They seem to be having fun swimming.