Just like we have our dolls festival during Navarathri, the
Japanese have a similar festival in Hina Matsuri. This festival is celebrated
every year on March 3rd and is often called the "Girl's Festival".
Hina is an ancient word meaning doll and matsuri means festival. This festival
has its origin about 1000 years ago. This is a festival for celebrating a girl's
growth, health, and happiness. The Hina dolls were initially charms made of
straw or paper placed near babies to protect them from dreaded diseases and on
March 3rd floated down rivers in the belief that the dolls would carry away
illness and misfortune. Slowly the simple dolls evolved into an elaborately
tiered array of Emperor and Empress, three ladies-in-waiting, five musicians,
two retainers and three guards. It is a traditional custom to display ceremonial
dolls on tiers of shelves covered with scarlet carpet. These dolls are dressed
in the fashion of the people of the ancient court. A full set of dolls usually
consists of 15 dolls and it was believed that the dolls protected people from
sickness or ill - fortune.
On Hina Matsuri, girls invite their friends to a party and have
a good time drinking sweet mild rice wine and eating diamond-shaped,
three-layered rice cakes. The white layer symbolizes snow, the green is for new
growth and the pink is for peach flowers. It is said that these Hina doll sets
are taken down and put away as soon as possible after the festival day in the
belief that the longer one waits to put them away, the longer the girl will have
to wait to get married. Usually these family treasures will go with the bride to
her home to be shared with her daughter. The full set is an enormous one,
replicating royal court of Heian period (8th century). When a girl is born, the
parents buy her the first Hina Matsuri, "Hatsu zekku." The royal
couple version, with only the prince and princess is very popular.
Hina dolls (Ohina-sama) are miniatures of Japanese court
personages of about 1000 years ago (Heian era). The dolls wear the costumes of
that time. At the top are the Emperor and Empress (Odairi-sama), on the second
level are three court ladies (San'nin kanjo). They have several sakeholders with
long handles (Nagae), sake cups (Sakazuki) and sake holders (Choshi). And on the
third level are five court musicians (Gonin Bayashi). They play several
traditional Japanese music instruments of flute (Fue), hand drum (Kozutsumi),
big hand drum (kawara) and small drum (Taiko). The man who has a folding fan (Sensu)
is a singer (Utaikata). There are also two ministers (Udaijin and Sadaijin),
child doll (Goshoningy), small pieces of furniture, small meal dishes, etc. The
dolls are offered sweet white sake (Shirozake), rice cake cubes (Hina-arare), a
festival feast, and peach flowers.
Just like we have our dolls festival during Navarathri, the
Japanese have a similar festival in Hina Matsuri. This festival is celebrated
every year on March 3rd and is often called the "Girl's Festival".
Hina is an ancient word meaning doll and matsuri means festival. This festival
has its origin about 1000 years ago. This is a festival for celebrating a girl's
growth, health, and happiness. The Hina dolls were initially charms made of
straw or paper placed near babies to protect them from dreaded diseases and on
March 3rd floated down rivers in the belief that the dolls would carry away
illness and misfortune. Slowly the simple dolls evolved into an elaborately
tiered array of Emperor and Empress, three ladies-in-waiting, five musicians,
two retainers and three guards. It is a traditional custom to display ceremonial
dolls on tiers of shelves covered with scarlet carpet. These dolls are dressed
in the fashion of the people of the ancient court. A full set of dolls usually
consists of 15 dolls and it was believed that the dolls protected people from
sickness or ill - fortune.
On Hina Matsuri, girls invite their friends to a party and have
a good time drinking sweet mild rice wine and eating diamond-shaped,
three-layered rice cakes. The white layer symbolizes snow, the green is for new
growth and the pink is for peach flowers. It is said that these Hina doll sets
are taken down and put away as soon as possible after the festival day in the
belief that the longer one waits to put them away, the longer the girl will have
to wait to get married. Usually these family treasures will go with the bride to
her home to be shared with her daughter. The full set is an enormous one,
replicating royal court of Heian period (8th century). When a girl is born, the
parents buy her the first Hina Matsuri, "Hatsu zekku." The royal
couple version, with only the prince and princess is very popular.
Hina dolls (Ohina-sama) are miniatures of Japanese court
personages of about 1000 years ago (Heian era). The dolls wear the costumes of
that time. At the top are the Emperor and Empress (Odairi-sama), on the second
level are three court ladies (San'nin kanjo). They have several sakeholders with
long handles (Nagae), sake cups (Sakazuki) and sake holders (Choshi). And on the
third level are five court musicians (Gonin Bayashi). They play several
traditional Japanese music instruments of flute (Fue), hand drum (Kozutsumi),
big hand drum (kawara) and small drum (Taiko). The man who has a folding fan (Sensu)
is a singer (Utaikata). There are also two ministers (Udaijin and Sadaijin),
child doll (Goshoningy), small pieces of furniture, small meal dishes, etc. The
dolls are offered sweet white sake (Shirozake), rice cake cubes (Hina-arare), a
festival feast, and peach flowers.
