The other day, we held a Flower Festival at Shokoji Nursery School, Hatogaya Branch, so we would like to share with you what it was like.
The Flower Festival is an event to celebrate the birth of Buddha (everyone at the nursery calls him "Nono-sama").
The children who are in contact with Nono-sama on a daily basis were really looking forward to the Flower Festival! They practiced their songs and were well prepared. During the last practice, they were heard cheering, saying "Let's sing it one more time!"
While waiting for the children to arrive, the head priest and nursery teachers prepare a "flower hall" modeled after the flower gardens of Lumbini, where Buddha was born.
Once preparations are complete, the Flower Festival begins.
First, the head priest will recite a sutra.
Everyone was able to put their hands together and listen to the sutra quietly!
Next, starting with five-year-old children, they offered incense, lights, and flowers.
With the help of the head priest, everyone was able to carry the items smoothly.
After singing the Hanamatsuri song, it is time to pour sweet tea on the Buddha. This represents the nectar that fell on him when he was born.
Starting with the one-year-olds, we started pouring sweet tea on them. We could hear everyone cheering from behind!
"Do your best!" "Do your best!" The nursery teachers supported the children who couldn't reach the top. They skillfully poured sweet tea and rinsed it for Nono-sama.
Older children will be fine without the help of a nursery teacher!
The head priest watched over them with a kind smile, shouting "That's amazing!" and clapping his hands.
The 5-year-olds have been celebrating since they were 1 year old and this is their 5th "Flower Festival". This year will be their last. Some of the children were a little nervous, but they all did a great job of sprinkling sweet tea.
After the children have rinsed the sweet tea, the priest hands them sweet tea candies. When they receive them, they all thank them properly, saying "Thank you!" and "Thank you!"
When we asked the children how they enjoyed the Flower Festival, they all looked happy and said, "We did our best!" and "It was fun!" Please enjoy the sweet tea candy with your family at home.
After the "Flower Festival" ended, everyone was curious to see what was inside the Hanamidou! Usually, there is a plain wooden statue at the entrance to the nursery school, so perhaps the children were surprised to see the statue in a different appearance than usual!
The Flower Festival ended without incident and we took a commemorative photo at the end.
Make sure you celebrate the birthdays of your family and friends this year!
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