Children's Day

Children are the future, and their happiness ensures the stability and well-being of future generations. Observed on June 1st in many countries since 1950, Children’s Day is meant to bring awareness on the condition of children worldwide. It seeks to improve their welfare, insure their protection from abuse or forced labor and help enforce their right to education.

Though Ritoma is a small community, it offers a balance between tradition and modernity. The environment is safe and children remain close to nature, which is all around them. They grow up with their neighbors and have tight bonds with their family and clan members. The pasture is their playground; they play hide and seek over hills and caves, collect mushrooms and weave flower garlands in summer, and slide on frozen streams in winter. They chase marmots, play with baby yaks, and learn to ride horses before they are five. They participate in the religious and cultural festivals that make up the core of life in their village. The world may be changing, but there are still places where childhood will be looked back at with nostalgia. It may have lacked the comforts of city life, but had plenty to make up for it.