Under My Umbrella…ella…ella
This weekend is Bon Odori, Japan’s version of our Ching Ming festival.
As usual, it will be held at our Padang Kota Lama. I’ve only been to Bon Odori a couple of times before, mostly to see an ex-colleague of mine dance. Due to her short stature, you can pick her out immediately from the group of dancers.
These little umbrellas are among some of the treasures I picked up from the many stalls that they have available. Beautiful, aren’t they?
No, you can’t put them in your cocktail. They’re too big, I think about 5 inches tall. They are made from cigarette boxes. I think it takes about 6 hours just to put 1 together. The lady who makes them sure is creative. It couldn’t be easy measuring and cutting up all those cigarette boxes so that the colors can be assembled to create a pattern like the ones seen above.
They are always a big hit and will usually be snapped up real quick.
Hehehehe…..it helps to have a friend who has an aunt in the organizing committee. She will bring some of the rarer ones to the office for us to choose. Of course we will go for those made from cigarette boxes that are not available locally. I mean, why go for Dunhill or Salem when satu jalan boleh dapat, right?
My favorite is the middle one.
It’s not very clear in this pic, but see how she arranges the designs in the white section so that it resembles lace? Creativity at its best.
Too bad the lady in question already balik kampung a few years ago, so now even if you have the money, you can’t find them any more.
The 3 precious little umbrellas I have are mine to keep.
If you have never been to a Bon Odori before, you should. Go experience a little bit of Japanese culture and watch the fireworks. Who knows what little treasures you could find amongst the stalls.
