今年も端午の節句が近づいてきました。
息子の初節句は昨年で、両家のジイジバアバと一緒に
主人の実家でお膳を取って、お祝いしました。
今年はというと、、、特に何も予定していません
とりあえず、実家にしまっておいた五月人形（狭い我が家には置けない）を
先週の日曜日に出しに行きました。

人形の後ろの屏風には、「息子の名前」と「元気」という文字が書かれています。
なんとかっていう（名前覚えてないし・・・）有名な方が書いてくださいました

そして我が家では、玄関にコレを置いて、雰囲気だけでも、、、



こいのぼりって、大阪にいるときは、最近見なくなったなと思っていたのですが、
今住んでいるところは、適度に田舎（笑）のせいか、
ドでかいこいのぼりをあげている家も結構あります。
ある家のこいのぼりには、苗字が印字された吹流しが
コイと一緒になびいておりました。


（下記は「おうち歳時記」成美堂出版より）
“こいのぼり”の由来は、鯉が黄河の滝をのぼるという、中国の故事にちなみ
男子の立身出世を願って縁起の良い鯉を飾るようになったのだそうです。
こいのぼりの棒の一番上には、丸い飾り物がついています。
それは籠玉（かごだま）と呼ばれ、神様を招くはたらきがあります。
その下に、風にカラカラと音を出して回る矢車（魔除け）
そして、五色（青赤黄白黒）の吹流し
お父さん鯉の黒の真鯉、お母さん鯉の赤の緋鯉、そして子鯉と続きます。
子鯉の数は、その家の男の子の数という習慣が残っている地方もあります。


最近、様々なものに興味を示し、少しずつ言葉を発し始めた息子。
「おさかな」をみると、大きな声で「かーー！」と叫びます。
「お・さ・か・な」の四文字のうち、「か」が一番言いやすいでしょうか？
今までは、うちにいるメダカとスーパーの魚売場ぐらいでしか、
発する事のなかった「かーー！」ですが、
最近は、散歩をしているとアチコチで大小のこいのぼりがなびいているので
そのたびに「かーー！！」と叫んでおります
親は「おさかな」の事、この場合は「こいのぼり」の事を言っている、と分かりますが
その時不意に出くわした通行人の方々は、あまりの突然の叫び声に
何事か？！とビックリされます

（私のつたない日本語を友達が訳してくれました。
　海外のお友達も読んで下さることを期待しつつ、
　２月１４日の日記を、英訳にてお送りします♪）

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The day girls give chocolate to boys they love
　　Valentine’s Day
How did you spend this day, guys?

We enjoy Valentine’s Day just as a　pleasant yearly event like Christmas,
though we don’t rightly know the origins of these days.
Well, I think it’s OK. You can enjoy it anyway!

But, it’s true that there might be some people who hate this day
- lonely men who wish there would be no Valentine’s Day,
or women office workers who are tired of buying lots of “giri-choco”
(it seems to be also called “thanks-choco” these days).
Because of someone’s strategies to make this day just an event,
they think of Valentine’s Day as an undesirable one before they know the origins of this anniversary.
When I think of this, I feel pity for Valentine’s Day…

Valentine’s Day has its origins in third-century Rome,
and it’s the anniversary of St. Valentine’s death.
Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage for young potential soldiers.
St. Valentine defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret.
But his actions were discovered and then he was executed on February 14.
After that, St. Valentine became famous as the patron saint of “Love”
I see…

I wonder if Valentine’s Day came into existence to be
the day we think about “LOVE”.

It is also said that Valentine’s Day originated from the custom
that parents and their children exchanged cards
on which they wrote instructions in love and feelings of gratitude.
Though, the love between men and women is only the center of attention nowadays,
actually, “LOVE” is various - love between parents and children, love between friends,
love between masters and their pets, love for something or love for nature..
So even if you couldn’t get any chocolate,
even if you had nobody you give chocolate to
or even if you had to give out lots of chocolate in spite of lack of money,
please don’t have Valentine’s Day. (Too pushy?)

Let’s take it easy to be able to spend your own heart-warming Valentine’s Day
looking for “LOVE” around you next year!

By the way, it was only in the 20th century that the custom to exchange declarations of love
and presents between men and women began.
It is said this custom was originally indigenous to England.
It is Japanese original customs that women give chocolate to men.
This trend was set by the confectionery industry after the war.

I was wondering how about Thai…
then, I found Nami-chan had reported already.
From Thai ( ←click here)
Well…it seems to be a different custom from Japanese.
Please check it out!


Lastly,
To the teachers at work,

I put this chocolate box on the main table for everyone.
Does it sound as if to say “Please have yourself if you like!” with no feeling for them??
No, no, I drew them to have ones with the best feeling of gratitude from the heart, of course.

And to my darling,

This is “wa-choco” my recent boom.
The inside is…

He said “I’m eating tomorrow, so don’t open it yet!”
Looking through the plastic cover…
It’s still hard to see exactly.

He often goes on a business trip to Shizuoka,
so I chose this chocolate made of “green tea of Shizuoka”. Isn’t it neat?
The taste is… I’m not sure yet because he insists on opening it tomorrow.

Actually, he chocolate I think the tastiest is this!

I ate it secretly at my office.


(Translated by Emi)