◎ Lucky dream Traditionally a lucky sign
A lucky dream of healthy growth and success; a push to cast off misfortune and step forward with courage.
Category: Seasons & solar terms (how to read this category)
Psychology
This dream can show a wish to be strong or protective, and hopes for growth along with their pressure. It may also appear when torn between what others expect and who you really are.
Folklore and history
On May 5 people hang iris leaves or bathe in iris water to ward off evil; because the word for iris sounds like martial spirit, samurai households made it a day for boys' growth. Today it is Children's Day, a holiday for all children's happiness.
A report from actually walking "sites of death," including suicide spots, paired with true ghost stories — a reference for our own reporting angle and writing style.
Ghost Story Reportage: Walking Through Sites of Death (Kannon Hanafusa / Futami Shobo)
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This site's view
In this site's view, notice whether the iris scent or steam lingered. If so, it is time to clear body and mind. If a helmet or warrior doll stared at you, it is someone's demand that you be strong; noticing its weight may be the first step in casting it off.
Going deeper: our reading
Kashiwa mochi, eaten for the Boys' Festival, is wrapped in oak leaves, and it is said that the oak keeps its old leaves until new buds appear, making it a wish for an unbroken family line. In western Japan many families eat chimaki instead, so the table looks a little different from place to place. In this site's reading, what you were eating is a clue. Savouring kashiwa mochi suggests awareness of a role in passing something on. Unwrapping chimaki points to a time for gradually revealing feelings or strengths you have kept hidden. This is our speculation, but just as the day is now widely seen as celebrating all children, this dream has nothing to do with gender; it checks the growing force within you. For an adult, it may say it is now your turn to wish someone the health once wished for you.
What to do on waking
Soak in the bath tonight and let fatigue go. If you are forcing yourself to act strong, confide one thing to someone.
In this scene
- It felt good: the lucky reading gets stronger
- ▲Warn It felt frightening or painful: the warning reading gets stronger — rest first
- The same dream again and again: something your mind has not settled yet
A portable toilet that helps during a long stakeout or shoot at a remote ruin or mountain haunted spot with no restroom nearby. It comes with a solidifying agent and odor-blocking bag for use in the car or a tent, and keeps for 15 years, doubling as disaster-prep gear.
Toilet Goddess PREMIUM Portable Toilet, 100 Uses (Disaster Prevention Advisor Supervised, 15-Year Storage, 7 Days for a Family of 2), Made in Japan
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FAQ
Q. Is dreaming of the Boys' Festival a good or bad sign?
A. Traditionally a lucky sign. A lucky dream of healthy growth and success; a push to cast off misfortune and step forward with courage.
Q. Why do I keep dreaming of the Boys' Festival?
A. A recurring dream usually points to something your mind has not settled yet. Research suggests such dreams tend to stop once the underlying worry is resolved. Keeping a dream diary helps you notice what triggers it.
Q. What should I do after dreaming of the Boys' Festival?
A. Soak in the bath tonight and let fatigue go. If you are forcing yourself to act strong, confide one thing to someone.
Related dream essays
- True Dreams and Reverse Dreams: Why We Read Dreams Backwards
- Buying Dreams, Turning Dreams: A Japanese History of Dream Trading and Dream Charms
Read this dream with your own scene in the Dream Dictionary →
More dreams in "Seasons & solar terms"
- Moon Viewing
- Cherry Blossom Viewing
- The First Sunrise of the Year
- Kagami Mochi
- Kadomatsu
- The Doll Festival
- Carp Streamers
- The Bon Dance
- New Year's Eve Soba
- A Birthday Cake
- The First Spring Gale
- The Cold Winter Wind
※ Dream interpretation here is entertainment drawing on psychology and folklore — it is not scientifically proven. "This site's view" is our own interpretation.
