Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

 

Magyar link: A darumadár a Távol-Keleten

 

 

 

The story is of a girl, Sadako Sasaki, who lived in Hiroshima at the time of the atomic bombing by the United States. She developed leukemia from the radiation and spent her time in a nursing home folding paper cranes in hope of making a thousand, which supposedly would have allowed her to make one wish, which was to live. However, she managed to fold 644 before she became too weak to fold any more, and died shortly after. Her friends and family helped finish her dream by folding the rest of the cranes which was buried with Sadako and build a statue of Sadako holding a giant golden paper crane in Hiroshima Peace Park after she died. Now every year on O Bon Day, which is a holiday in Japan to remember the fallen ones of the bombings, thousand of people leave paper cranes near the statue. On the statue is a plaque: "This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace on Earth."

 

Videolink: How to fold a paper crane

Magyar link: A darumadár a Távol-Keleten

 

     

 

  

 

Camper's messages to Hiroshima Children's Peace Memorial

 

We are Dóra Brlas from Vejti Evelin Suha from Heves. We're 12 years old.  We're in a camp in Balatonlelle. We heard Sadako's story and we decided to fold 1000 paper cranes. We have wars but we would like to live in peace.

 

We are Boglárka Horváth from Papkeszi and Virág Török from Heves and Eszter Gueth from Szenna. We are 12 years old. We folded the paper cranes because we hope that someday every children around the world will live in peace.

 

My name is Antónia Halász. I'm from Kaposszerdahely. I'm thirteen years old. My school is László Fekete Primary School. 

And  I'm Dzsenifer Bencze from Bogádmindszent. I'm thirteen years old. My school is Kodolányi János Primary School.

We feel sorry for Sadako, her story was very sad. It was great to fold the cranes and that we send them to Hiroshima. We love you Sadako.

 

My name is Dani Farkas. I'm from Balassagyarmat. my school is Dózsa György Primary School. Sadako's story was really sad. We send our love to Hiroshima with the cranes.

 

I'm Ádám Cser from Tiszaföldvár and Norbert Gergely from Papkeszi. Take the 1000 cranes with love to commemorate Sadako.

 

Bagó Évi vagyok, Budapestről. Először is fogadják őszinte részvétemet családtagjuk elvesztése miatt, nagyon sajnálom a lányt. Én is hallottam a történetet és mélyen megrendültem tőle. Többen csináltuk az Ő emlékére az 1000 darut és remélem, hogy a daruk segítenek majd enyhíteni a fájdalmat, legalább egy kicsit, mégha nem is teljesen.

Ez sok-sok éve volt már, de olyan ez a történet, mintha nem 55, hanem 5-6 éve halt volna meg. Sajnálatos és nagyon szomorú történet. A park az ő emlékére nagyon jó, hogy van és biztos nagyon örül neki odafent.

Örülök

               hogy

                         segíthettem.

 

                                                  Évi

2010. 07. 29. 

 

 

My name is Kíra Rostás from Papkeszi. Dear People of Hiroshima! We feel really sorry for Sadako, therefore we send you the 1000 paper cranes.

 

I'm Gréti Koplányi from Balassagyarmat. We send these cranes with lots of love. We are all sad to hear about Sadako's story, but we folded the cranes with pleasure, myself and the others as well. . Love, Gréti.

 

My name is Renáta Balog, I'm from Ózdfalu. We heard and talk about Sadako's story and it was very touching and sad, and I'm sure everybody felt the same. We send the cranes with love, it was a pleasure to make them.

 

      

 

CAMPERS' LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF HIROSHIMA

 

To: The People of Hiroshima

And Children’s Peace Memorial Museum

 

From: Roma and Friends Summer Camp, Hungary, July 17^th – 24^th and July 24^th  – 31^st, 2010

 

 Dear Friends,

 

We are writing from the Roma and Friends Summer Camp, Balatonlelle, Hungary. Our camp is built around mutual understanding, peace and tolerance. We host children of Roma and Non-Roma Hungarian origin coming from all around Hungary. The kids are 11 – 14 years old.

 

This year we decided to fold one thousand paper cranes to commemorate the victims of the A-bomb and to send our love and respect to the people of Hiroshima. The teachers of the camp introduced Sadako’s story to the children. When we started the story some of the children were not paying attention, but when they heard that Sadako was diagnosed with leukemia and her condition got worse and worse -  we could almost hear the silence in the room. One of our teachers said: “It was one of those moments worth teaching for.”

After the workshop one little girl came to me and asked: “ And did Sadako really die? She was the same age as me! She couldn’t die!”

 

We had altogether 68 children and 26 adults. Everybody participated in the folding of the cranes with making at least one. This was the first time most of the children met the art of origami and they enjoyed it a lot.

 

We wish you peaceful life and happiness and please know that we support you in Hungary and work together with you to build our world.

 

With love,

Szabó Kati

 and the campers of the Roma and Friends Summer Camps 2010

 

MESSAGE FROM HIROSHIMA PEACE CULTURE FOUNDATION

 

IMG_0001.pdf

 

August 30, 2010

 

Dear M. Szabo Kati and the camps of the Roma and Friends Summer Camps 2010

 

I trust this letter finds you in good health.

 

I was very pleased to receive the paper cranes you folded in your sincere desire for peace.

 

We dedicated your cranes to the Children's Peace Monument, the statue that was built in memory of Sadako Sasaki, a junior high school girl who died in 1955 of the "A-bomb" disease.

 

I believe the spirit of Sadako is pleased by your great kindness.

 

Your prayers for world peace will be passed on to the many people who will visit the monument.

 

Let's work together for a world of peace free from nuclear weapons so Sadako's tragedy will never be repeated.

 

Very truly yours,

 

Steven Leeper

Chairperson, Board of Directors

 

 

2010. augusztus 30.

  

Kedves Szabó Kati és Romák és Barátaik Nyári Táborok 2010 Táborozói!

 

Remélem mindannyian jól vannak.

 

Nagyon örültem, hogy megkaptam azokat a papírdarukat, amelyeket Önök hajtogattak a békéért őszinte szívvel.

 

A darukat a Gyermek Béke Emlékműnél helyeztük el. Az Emlékművet Sadako Sasaki, egy általános iskolás kislány emlékének szenteljük, aki 1955-ben halt meg az atombomba által okozott betegségben.

 

Hiszek abban, hogy Sadako szelleme örül az Önök kedvességének.

 

Sok idelátogató ember fogja meghallani imájukat a világbékéért.

 

Dolgozzunk együtt egy atomfegyverektől-mentes, békés világért, hogy Sadako tragédiája soha többé ne ismétlődhessen meg.

 

Őszinte tisztelettel,

 

Steven Leeper

 

Steven Leeper

 

Főtitkár, Hiroshima Béke Kultúra Alapítvány Vezetősége

 

 

SADAKO AND THE THOUSAND PAPER CRANES

 

The atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima ten years ago, August 6th, 1945. I lived a mile away from the city so nothing much happened to me, though the city and its people were burnt. The bomb didn’t do anything to me -- so I thought for 10 years.

 

 

I love running.

A few months ago, while I was running, I felt dizzy. I thought it was only because I was tired. Then a few weeks after that, I fell down in the field and couldn’t get up. The teachers rushed me to the hospital and the doctors found I had leukemia --  blood cancer. This was one of the things that the bomb gave us.

 

I was in hospital. 

I was scared because I knew every one who had got this disease died.

And I didn’t want to die.

 

One day Chizuko, my best friend, came to see me. She brought some white paper, folded it into a crane and told me a story. She said that the crane was sacred to all Japanese and that it lived for a 1000 years. If a sick person folded a 1000 paper cranes she would get well. I decided to fold a 1000 cranes.

The leukemia had left me very weak. On some days I could fold 20 cranes and on other days, I could hardly fold 2. And I know I’m not getting any better.

 

I know I will die soon.

But I have not stopped folding the cranes. I am getting slower. I can barely manage a couple a day, but I keep folding them, and will keep making paper cranes till I can’t make them any more.

 

 

NOTE: Sadako died in October 1955. When she died, her friends formed a club and began to collect money to make a monument of love. This monument is called the Children’s Peace Monument and is in the Peace Park, right in the middle of Hiroshima, where the bomb was dropped.