Hinamatsuri: The Doll Festival

March 3rd is Hinamatsuri which is Japanese for Small Doll Festival but it is more commonly referred to as Girls' Day. Japanese families celebrate their daughters on this day with foods and decorations that are bound by culture and tradition. Another name for Girls' Day (or Hinamatsuri) is the Peach Blossom Festival. Peach Blossoms are important to Japanese culture. They represent important feminine traits such as composure, gentleness and tranquility and symbolize a happy marriage. This makes peach blossoms intrinsic to Girls' Day decorations.

Japanese families prepare for Girls' Day by decorating a few days before hand. Traditional dolls called hina are the main focus of the decorating. These are not dolls that are played with but rather special dolls that are used only for this occasion. Typical hina sets have fifteen dolls. Two dolls are considered the Emperor and Empress, the remaining dolls represent musicians, serving ladies, warriors and so on. A red cloth is draped over a structure of either three or seven tiers Along with the dolls are little chests and carts. This is representative of a dowry. The complete display is called a hina-dan. Each daughter in a family will have her own set of hina dolls to display on Girls' Day and most often these displays are set up in the main room of the family's dwelling. Many families hand down their hina doll sets through the generations. This hina-dan or Girls' Day display is more than a marriage ceremony mock up. Its purpose is to wish for good health, great happiness and good fortune on the girls who live in the home. The displays must be taken down by midnight of March 3rd. Japanese superstition states that otherwise the girl will have to wait much longer for marriage or may even not marry at all.

Girls' Day also has traditional food such as Hina arare which is small grilled pieces of rice cakes. Also it is customary to have diamond shaped rice cakes that have red, green and white layers called Hishimochi. The layers represent life (white) earth (red) life and green (trees, grass) and eating this will absorb energy from nature and fend off misfortune. Colorful sushi is often served along with a non-alcoholic sake called Shirozake made from fermented rice.

There is a special song called Hamamatsu (The Doll's Festival) that is sung on Girls' Day.

Akari o tsukemasyo bonbori ni
O hana o agemasyo momo no hana
Gonin-bayashi no fue daiko
Kyoo wa tanoshii hinamatsuri

Let's light the lanterns on the tiered stand
Let's set peach flowers on the tiered stand
Five court musicians are playing flutes and drums
Today is a joyful Dolls' Day.