Koinobori swim through time - The Japan News

May in Japan is the month of the Tango no Sekku, or Boy’s Festival, and koinobori carp streamers. Made by forming cloth into a cylinder the shape of a carp, the streamers are typically hung outside people’s homes to wish for the health and success of young boys in the family, as the powerful fish is admired for its ability to swim upstream against strong currents. The tradition of hanging streamers is believed to have started in the Edo period (1603-1867).