I wish there was room in this book to tell you about all the good times that Taro and Take have, but they have so many holidays and such good times on every one of them that it would take two books to tell about it all.
They have cherry festivals and wistaria festivals and chrysanthemum festivals when everybody goes to picnics and spends the whole day with the flowers.
On the day of the Lotus Festival they go very early in the morning, before the sun is up, to a pond where the lotus flowers bloom. They go with their teacher and all the children.
When they get to the pond, the teacher says, "Listen!" Every one is still as a mouse. Just as the sun comes up, the lotus flowers open. Pop, pop, pop, they go, like fairy guns! The children love to hear them pop. "The flowers salute the sun," they say.
One of the best days of all is New Year's Day, when all the boys and their fathers and grandfathers fly kites. And such wonderful kites! The air is full of dragons and boxes and all sorts of queer shapes. Sometimes the dragons have a battle in the air!
But one day I must tell you about, anyway, and that is Taro's birthday!
It isn't only Taro's birthday, you know. All the boys celebrate together. The girls--even if they are your very own twins--don't have a thing to do with it. And it lasts five days! On the first morning Taro woke very early. He was just as excited as Take was on the day of the Festival of Dolls. But Take didn't stay in bed on Taro's birthday. She flew out early, for she wanted to see all the fun, even if she wasn't in it.
First she went to the Kura with Taro and their Father to get out the flags. The boys' birthday is called the Feast of Flags.
They took Bot'Chan with them to the Kura. Take carried him on her back.
"It's Bot'Chan's birthday, too," she said, "so he must go."In the Kura was a long bamboo pole. The Twins' Father took the pole and set it up in the street before their house. Then he brought out two great paper fish. They were almost larger than Taro. They had great round mouths and round eyes. A string was fastened to their mouths.
"There's one fish for Taro and one for Bot'Chan," said the Father. "We have two boys in our house."He tied the fish to the pole. The wind filled the great round mouths and soon away up in the air the two fish were bobbing and blowing about just as if they were alive!
There was a bamboo pole with one or two--and sometimes three or four--fish on it before every house in the street!
"My! how many boys there are in the world!" Take said; "more than I can count!"The street was as gay as a great flower-garden. There were not only fish flags; there was the flag of Japan, with a great round red disk on it. And there was the flag of the navy, which was a great round red sun like the other, only with red rays around it, and there were banners of all colors waving in the breeze.
"Why are the fish flags all made just like the carp in the pond at the Temple?" asked Take.
"Because the carp is such a plucky fish," the Father answered.
"He isn't a lazy fish that only wants to swim downstream, the easy way. He swims up the rivers and jumps up the falls. That's the way we want our Japanese boys to be. Their lives must be brave and strong, like the carp.""And clean and bright like the sword, too?" Taro said.
"Yes," said his Father. "I'm glad you remember about the sword."When the fish flags were bobbing about in the air, the Father and children went back into the house.
There were the steps in the side of the room again, just where they were when Take had her birthday. And Taro had his dolls, too. They were not like Take's. They were soldier dolls, enough for a whole army. Taro set them up in rows, as if they were marching! There were General dolls, and officers on horseback, and bands. There were even two nurses, following after the procession. There were toy guns, and ever and ever so many flags all in a row.
Taro was so excited he could hardly eat any breakfast! As soon as he had finished, he sprang up from his cushion. He almost upset his table, he was in such a hurry. He put on a play uniform like a soldier. And he had a wooden sword!
"There's going to be a war!" he said to Take.
"Where?" asked Take; "can I see it?"
"It's going to be in the street. I'm the General," said Taro.
"Oh, how I wish I could be a General," cried Take.
But Taro never even heard her. He was already on his way to join his regiment.
In a few minutes Take heard the "rap- a-tap, tap! rap-a-tap, tap!" of a drum. "They're coming! They're coming!" she called to her Mother and Father. The Mother rolled Bot'Chan on to her back.
Take took her Father's hand. They all ran to the gate to see the procession. The servants came out, too, and last of all Grannie.
They gave Grannie the best place to see. Soon around the corner came the procession.
First marched a color-bearer with the big Japanese flag. Then came Taro. He looked very proud and straight, walking all alone at the head of the procession. He was the General because he had a sword!
All the boys carried flags. They kept step like little soldiers.
