Little Bit of the Japanese Magic

As a legend says, this story happened long time ago, nearly 500 years from now on in mysterious Japan, in a small village. It was June and the monsoon season came. It was raining day and night, the roads were washed away, houses got flooded and all the harvest was about to be damaged irredeemably. Then the villagers decided to ask a Buddhist monk, who lived on the outskirts of the village, to help them out. Everyone brought some food or money as a gift. The monk accepted the gift and promised to pray hard for the good weather. So he prayed and prayed and prayed, but the rain didn’t seem like stopping. The villagers got very angry, seized the monk and dragged him to the gallows, but by the time they were going to hang him, the elder of the village came along saying that such a crime would obviously make Buddha even angrier with the villagers. In spite of hanging the poor monk he advised to make a doll, as bold as the monk was and wearing the same loose clothes. The villagers listened to his advice and made a doll, which they hung on the village gates and suddenly the rain stopped. Since that very day, as a monsoon season comes, the Japanese make a special doll, called “Teru-teru-boozu” (てるてる坊主) that can be translated as "shiny shiny monk’s bald head”. They usually make Teru-teru-boozu from a tissue paper or cotton, then they string it and draw some funny face and hang it outside (but in a dry place) to attract sunny weather.  Special song is needed as well:

Teru-teru-bōzu, teru bōzu
Ashita tenki ni shite o-kure
Itsuka no yume no sora no yō ni
Haretara kin no suzu ageyo

Teru-teru-bōzu, teru bōzu
Ashita tenki ni shite o-kure
Watashi no negai wo kiita nara
Amai o-sake wo tanto nomasho

Teru-teru-bōzu, teru bōzu
Ashita tenki ni shite o-kure
Sorete mo kumotte naitetara
Sonata no kubi wo chon to kiru zo.

Which means:

Teru-teru-bozu, teru bozu
Do make tomorrow a sunny day
Like the sky in a dream sometime
If it's sunny I'll give you a golden bell

Teru-teru-bozu, teru bozu
Do make tomorrow a sunny day
If you make my wish come true
We'll drink lots of sweet rice wine

Teru-teru-bozu, teru bozu
Do make tomorrow a sunny day
But if the clouds are crying (it's raining)
Then I shall snip your head off.

But you should remember, only «Teru bozu» that hangs properly, will help you to make the weather better. Meanwhile, if it hangs upside down, it will serve as a prayer for rain.