Happy Girls Day!

Happy Girls Day everyone!

Here in Japan, we celebrate Hina Matsuri/Girls Day (also known as Dolls Festival), on March 3rd.

The most obvious thing that I've noticed about the holiday is that putting dolls out for display on a tiered staircase-like stand is common. The displays are in people's houses as well as in some stores/businesses. They are meant to protect the future health and happiness of the family's daughters. The top row of these displays (regardless of whether they are 1, 3, 5 or 7 tiers tall) always has an Emperor and Empress doll on a red carpet in front of a gold screen. Our landlords gave us this awesome origami display for Hina-matsuri. Sweet!

My ikebana sensei mentioned that peach blossoms are traditionally associated with Girls Day as are the colors red and white. There are also special Girls Day sweets - mostly diamond shaped mochi rice cakes and small rice crackers in red/pink, white and green. She also showed me a musical display where all the doll figurines were anthropomorphic rabbits that played a special Girls Day song called Ureshii Hinamatsuri. It was, as expected, absurdly cute!

One of my Japanese teachers added that amazake (sweet, non-alcoholic sake) is a customary drink and that families typically put the displays away quickly after the holiday ends because of a superstition that to fail to do so will result in their daughters having a hard time finding a husband!

The doll sets can be quite elaborate and sometimes are considered "family treasures" that are passed down from generation to generation. And, if there is no family heirloom set, one doll up to an entire Hina Matsuri display is a traditional present for grandparents to give to granddaughters on the 1st Hina Matsuri after she is born.