Holidays and festivals

Striving to maintain normal lives, Japanese Americans held holiday celebrations and festivals inside the concentration camps. Whether decorating mess halls during the Christmas holiday as part of a camp-wide competition or participating in parades to celebrate the harvest of crops from their own gardens, the Japanese Americans demonstrated their resourcefulness and resilience.

World War II (231)
Concentration camps (1434)
Holidays and festivals (268)

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268 items
George Nakata Interview Segment 20 (ddr-one-7-29-20)
vh George Nakata Interview Segment 20 (ddr-one-7-29-20)
Celebrating Christmas in camp

This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, finding, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior.

Eiichi Edward Sakauye Interview I Segment 2 (ddr-densho-1005-1-2)
vh Eiichi Edward Sakauye Interview I Segment 2 (ddr-densho-1005-1-2)
Celebrating New Year's: mochitsuki

Eiichi Edward Sakauye shot footage of the Heart Mountain concentration camp, Wyoming, from 1943-1945, on 8 mm film. This interview is of Mr. Sakauye providing voice-over descriptions for his original footage.

Eiichi Edward Sakauye Interview I Segment 22 (ddr-densho-1005-1-22)
vh Eiichi Edward Sakauye Interview I Segment 22 (ddr-densho-1005-1-22)
Obon odori festival in camp

Eiichi Edward Sakauye shot footage of the Heart Mountain concentration camp, Wyoming, from 1943-1945, on 8 mm film. This interview is of Mr. Sakauye providing voice-over descriptions for his original footage.

Nobu Suzuki Interview I Segment 36 (ddr-densho-1000-84-36)
vh Nobu Suzuki Interview I Segment 36 (ddr-densho-1000-84-36)
Christmas at Minidoka, sagebrush candles and a tumbleweed Christmas tree

References are made to several of Nobu Suzuki's personal papers, which are currently available for public perusal at the University of Washington's Manuscripts and University Archives.

Tsuguo
vh Tsuguo "Ike" Ikeda Interview I Segment 18 (ddr-densho-1000-123-18)
Celebrating Christmas in camp and singing "Don't Fence Me In"

As a teenager prior to World War II, began keeping scrapbooks with newspaper articles and memorabilia, a lifetime habit.

Gene Akutsu Segment 9 (ddr-densho-1000-1-9)
vh Gene Akutsu Segment 9 (ddr-densho-1000-1-9)
A teenager's memories of Puyallup Assembly Center: bad food, and games on the 4th of July
Kunio Otani Segment 15 (ddr-densho-1000-75-15)
vh Kunio Otani Segment 15 (ddr-densho-1000-75-15)
Dancing, talent shows, playing "Go," and drinking in camp
Kara Kondo Interview Segment 32 (ddr-densho-1000-139-32)
vh Kara Kondo Interview Segment 32 (ddr-densho-1000-139-32)
Poignant memories of Christmas in camp: singing carols, receiving gifts from churches on the outside, caroling to a soldier in a guard tower
[Carp banner (Koinobori) and Boys Day]: Japanese holidays (ddr-csujad-2-62)
doc [Carp banner (Koinobori) and Boys Day]: Japanese holidays (ddr-csujad-2-62)
Report on the history and culture of "Boys' Day," a Japanese holiday practiced on May 5. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: sjs_sch_0062
Christmas card from Emma Hesse to Mr. and Mrs. Henry [Katsumi] Fujita, December 21, 1941 (ddr-csujad-23-12)
doc Christmas card from Emma Hesse to Mr. and Mrs. Henry [Katsumi] Fujita, December 21, 1941 (ddr-csujad-23-12)
Card depicts winter scene with snow and people walking down a path. Message from Emma Hesse states: "I pray for you, and ask that all kindness and understanding surround you these days." Object includes envelope showing address in Petaluma, California. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: lp028-08-012
Personality cards (ddr-csujad-26-43)
doc Personality cards (ddr-csujad-26-43)
Journal entries written by high school students discussing their observations and perspectives on a variety of topics including family interactions, memories, homesickness, friendships, social interactions, school, self-reflection, juvenile delinquency, peer behaviors, death, religion, opinions, and worldviews. Each entry includes the full date and student name. The entries were part of a class assignment and collected for …
Tule Lake recreation center community affairs report for the period August 20, 1942 to September 20, 1942 (ddr-csujad-26-11)
doc Tule Lake recreation center community affairs report for the period August 20, 1942 to September 20, 1942 (ddr-csujad-26-11)
Summary of community youth recreation activities at Tule Lake before school began including descriptions of administration, leadership and training, the "Community Activities Commission," advisory board, planning board, staff, organization, and activities. Report compiled as a portion of the Japanese American Evacuation and Resettlement Study (JERS). See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization …
Toshio Oku photo album (ddr-csujad-3-22)
img Toshio Oku photo album (ddr-csujad-3-22)
Photo album is a collection of landscape and panoramic photos of Tule Lake incarceration camp, holiday greeting cards, photos of a fire, graduation portrait of Toshio Oku, group photo of the Electrical Department, and inside the print shop of the Newell Star. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: tos_01_001_023
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