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 (1454)
Holidays and festivals (270)

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270 items

doc Valentine's Day card (with envelope) to Molly Wilson from Sandie Saito (February 1943) (ddr-janm-1-14)

Valentine's Day card to Molly Wilson from Sandie Saito (February 1943). White/blue card with illustration in blue/red of two singing blue birds with a treble musical scale and red heart in the background. "A valentine message for you" is on the top center on front of card. Envelope is postmarked February 1943 from the Granada (Amache) …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-janm-1-14/

doc Christmas card (with envelope) to Molly Wilson from Sandie Saito (December 18, 1943) (ddr-janm-1-18)

Christmas card to Molly Wilson from Sandie Saito (December 18, 1943). Blue card with illustration in white of two lambs looking at a shining star. "Joyous Christmas" is on the bottom center on front of card. Envelope is postmarked December 18, 1943 from the Granada (Amache) Incarceration Camp in Amache, Colorado.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-janm-1-18/

doc Letter (with envelope) to Molly Wilson from Chiyeko Akahoshi (December 27, 1943) (ddr-janm-1-110)

Handwritten letter to Molly Wilson from Chiyeko Akahoshi (December 27, 1943). Envelope is postmarked December 31, 1943 from the Manzanar Incarceration Camp in Manzanar, California.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-janm-1-110/

doc Letter (with envelope) to Molly Wilson from Yuri Shimokochi (December 28, 1942) (ddr-janm-1-57)

Handwritten letter to Molly Wilson from Yuri Shimokochi (December 28, 1942). Envelope is postmarked December 29, 1942 from the Heart Mountain Incarceration Camp in Cody, Wyoming.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-janm-1-57/

doc Camp Christmas card (ddr-densho-274-66)

This is a Christmas card designed by a camp inmate.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-274-66/

doc Song lists (ddr-densho-280-13)

Two typed pages of popular song lyrics, including Christmas songs.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-280-13/

img Children in line for santa (ddr-densho-313-80)

This photo was taken December 22, 1945 at Minidoka. Darlene Shigeno, daughter of Yoshio and Masaye, is shown scratching her head while waiting in line to see Santa.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-313-80/

img A toddler at Christmas (ddr-densho-315-20)

Jesse "Duke" Brimhall standing next to a Christmas tree with toys.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-315-20/

img A toddler at Christmas (ddr-densho-315-21)

Jesse "Duke" Brimhall standing next to a Christmas tree with toys.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-315-21/

img Girls in Christmas costumes in Jerome concentration camp (ddr-densho-321-40)

Captioned: "Denson, 1944."

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-321-40/

doc Letter sent to T.K. Pharmacy from Topaz concentration camp (ddr-densho-319-25)

Request for the price of sake.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-319-25/

doc Letter sent to T.K. Pharmacy from Topaz concentration camp (ddr-densho-319-20)

Request for the price of sake.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-319-20/

doc Mother's Day card (ddr-densho-324-74)

Mother's Day card sent to Ryoko Uno in Tule Lake concentration camp.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-324-74/

doc Easter card (ddr-densho-338-156)

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-338-156/

img Christmas decorations (ddr-densho-39-5)

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-39-5/

img Christmas celebration (ddr-densho-39-3)

Original museum description: Photograph, black and white glossy of a Christmas scene at Minidoka internment camp. Fourteen children are with a Santa Claus and one of the children (a girl) is on his knee. The children are either standing or seated on the floor and one is sitting on the table. There are two trees decorated …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-39-3/

doc Letter from Tatsuo Inouye to his daughters (ddr-densho-394-19)

Tatsuo Inouye writes to his daughters from the the Tule Lake Stockade. He tells his daughters to be good before Christmas so they will receive good presents.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-394-19/

doc Letter from Tatsuo Inouye to block manager (ddr-densho-394-13)

Tatsuo Inouye writes a thank you letter to his block manager at Tule Lake.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-394-13/

img Harvest Festival (ddr-densho-37-69)

Original WRA caption: Tule Lake Relocation Center, Newell, California. A scene at the Harvest Festival held at this relocation center.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-37-69/

img Bon Odori (ddr-densho-37-516)

Original WRA caption: Granada Relocation Center, Amache, Colorado. young dancers line up for refreshments during intermission at the Bon Odori dance, August 14, sponsored by the Granada Buddhist Church.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-37-516/

img Christmas celebration (ddr-densho-37-503)

Original WRA caption: Granada Relocation Center, Amache, Colorado. Christmas at the Granada Relocation Center didn't provide a Christmas tree for each barracks room home, but there was one at each mess hall, and it is the steward himself in a pair of red pajamas and a Santa Claus mask that makes the yuletide real for these …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-37-503/

img Christmas (ddr-densho-37-49)

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-37-49/

img Arts and crafts festival (ddr-densho-37-504)

Original WRA caption: Granada Relocation Center, Amache, Colorado. Evacuee residents at the Granada Relocation Center, viewing exhibits at the Arts and Crafts Festival in Terry Hall, March 6th to 8th. This festival was sponsored by the Education Division and the "Pioneer," the center newspaper.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-37-504/

img Christmas decorations (ddr-densho-37-11)

Original WRA caption: Christmas decorations in Block 1 dining hall.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-37-11/

img Labor Day queen and her court (ddr-densho-37-322)

Original WRA caption: The labor day queen and her attendants are shown at the coronation ceremony which was a part of the celebration at this relocation center.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-37-322/