THE CARP AND THE DRAGON
Cultivating perseverance and patience
Ages
5–10 yrs
Audience
Kindergarten to 4th Grade
Duration
1H00 à 2H00
Capacity
10-15 enfants
Skills Developed
About this workshop
In China, in the Yellow River region, there was a waterfall called the Dragon Gate, because an ancient legend said that anyone who could cross it would become a dragon. Many fish wanted to become dragons, but none succeeded in crossing the waterfall. But a carp tried with such courage and perseverance that one day it managed to jump high enough to climb the waterfall, and it became a dragon. In memory of this legend, all over Japan, between mid-April and May 5th, the Children's Day, colorful fabric carp float in the sky, hung on bamboo poles, in gardens, in front of schools, above rivers, to encourage children to face difficulties with perseverance and patience, inspired by the carp that became a dragon. The brightly colored fabric carp fluttering in the wind in gardens or on balconies indicate the presence of children in the house and the parents’ wish that as they grow, the little carp may become magnificent dragons.
"Through perseverance, we can all become dragons"
Workshop Program
Story & writing
Discovery of the legend + creation of haikus
Art
Making koinobori (Japanese paper carp)
Final ceremony
Collective creation and hanging of carp + symbolic transformation into dragons
The Associated Story
The Carp that Became a Dragon
In Japan, every 5th of May, families celebrate Kodomo no Hi (Children’s Day) by hanging vibrant cloth carps — the koinobori — that rise and swirl in the wind. These carps carry a powerful message: the ancient tale of a carp brave enough to swim upstream and transform into a dragon. A reminder that courage shapes destiny.
Values
The Artist
ALICE RICARD
Alice Ricard is a French illustrator and artist, a graduate of Penninghen in Paris. Passionate about Japanese culture, she brings visual narratives to life where poetry and modernity intertwine. Moving between tradition and contemporary expression, she draws inspiration from nature, folklore, and travel. Her work creates dreamlike and melancholic atmospheres, inhabited by fantastical animals and imaginary landscapes, touched with a hint of surrealism.
View artist →Interested in this workshop?
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