Posts filed under ‘.locale’
The Turnip Princess: a newly discovered fairytale
Once upon a time, the historian Franz Xaver von Schönwerth collected fairytales in Bavaria, which were locked away in an archive until now … here is one of the newly discovered stories – The Turnip Princess
Ureshii Hinamatsuri
.ja
Ākyāri o-tsuke māsho bonborini
O-hānā o-agemasho momo no hana
Gonin-bayashi no fue taiko
Kyō wa tano shi hinamatsuri
.en
Let’s light the lanterns on the tiered stand.
Let’s put peach blossoms on the tiered stand.*
Five court musicians are playing flutes and drums.
Today is a happy Dolls’ Festival.
The Hina Matsuri holiday is also called Peach Day. Peach blossoms are associated with young girls in Japan. Research what the flowers of peach trees look like. Why do you think they are connected with young girls? From tissue paper, make peach blossoms to festoon your Hina Matsuri display. Learn about what other plants are associated with Japan.
The Shintoists (a nature-focused religion practiced in Japan) have Nagashi-Bina on this day. Decorative dolls are gathered together and put in boats. The boats are cast out to sea and with them, ill fortune is carried away. In what other countries are there similar rituals?
Explore Boys’ Day or Children’s Day in Japan and Korea on May 5. What things are similar and what differs from Girls’ Day?
Windy Whistle
by Alice Lewis
Fall asleep now,
I will count until you make a wish,
Softly whisper quiet magic numbers,
Conjure up the little sound that’s carried in the wind,
When freed it wakes the trees out of their slumber.
CHORUS: Windy whistles, shinning drizzle,
Blow the sound away,
Drum the branches,
Lead the dances now.
You will soon find out the way to be invisible,
Hide behind the smallest leaf,
If you wait for long enough you’ll see it happening,
Those lonely sylphs come out of the green.
CHORUS: Windy whistles, shinning drizzle,
Blow the sound away,
Drum the branches,
Lead the dances now.
Windy whistles sew the hearts on,
Find the secret way,
See the traces, hiding places now.
But don’t try to tame them,
Oh, you’ll end the game then,
So just come to tell.
CHORUS: Windy whistles, shinning drizzle,
Blow the sound away,
Drum the branches,
Lead the dances now.
Windy whistles sew the hearts on,
Find the secret way,
See the traces, hiding places now.
CHORUS: Windy whistles, shinning drizzle,
Blow the sound away,
Drum the branches,
Lead the dances now.
