Kites Fill the Air

Each year on May 3rd the sky in Hamamatsu, Japan, is filled with kites.

The Hamamatsu Kite Festival started in the 1500s to celebrate the birth of a new prince. People in Japan keep this yearly tradition.

Illustration of a globe with label showing the location of Hamamatsu, a city of Japan
Photograph of old painting of Kite Festival with people in traditional Japanese dress
Key Vocabulary

  • started v., began

  • celebrate v., to have a good time for a special reason

In Other Words

  • festival special event; party

  • in the 1500s about 500 years ago

  • prince son of the king

  • keep this yearly tradition celebrate the kite festival every year