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March 3 is Hinamatsuri (Doll Festival), the day to hope for the uneventful growth and good fortune of girls. People decorate their houses with Hina ("Hina" means "small") dolls and peach flowers. It is believed that Hina dolls take over misfortunes and troubles falling on girls

The day is the second of the gosekku (the five annual ceremonies that were traditionally held at the Japanese imperial court) and is also known as Momo no Sekku, since it is the season of peach ("momo") flowers

A group of dolls dressed in traditional court dress of the Heian period called “Hinaningyo” are displayed in the home of the family that has a young daughter. The dolls represent members of the ancient imperial court, and displayed on tiers of shelves

Platforms covered with a red carpet are used to display a set of ornamental dolls representing the Emperor, Empress, attendants, and musicians in traditional court dress of the Heian period

An Emperor doll with an Empress doll, in front of a painted screen

The Emperor, Dairitono The Empress, Dairihime

An Emperor doll with an Empress doll, in front of a gold screen

The Emperor and the Empress (called “Dairi-Bina”) are displayed on the top shelf

The dolls represent

members of the ancient imperial

court, and displayed on tiers

of shelves

Dairihime The Empress

The Emperor and the Empress are displayed on the top shelf, three court ladies (“Sannin-Kanjo”) each holding Sake equipment, five

musicians (“Gonin Bayashi”), two ministers

(“Udaijin” and “Sadaijin”), and three servants are typically arrayed below them

Three court ladies (“Sannin-Kanjo”)

Three court ladies (“Sannin-Kanjo”) The mission of 3 doll is poured sake for the king and queen

Five musicians (“Gonin Bayashi”)

Edo Drummer

Musicians(“Gonin Bayashi”)

“Hinamatsuri” dates from

medieval times but the custom of displaying dolls

in today’s fashion started

around 18th century

Families starts to display the dolls in February, and store them away immediately after the festival, as it is believed that leaving the dolls displayed late after the festival would result in late marriage for the daughter

Two ministers (“Udaijin” and “Sadaijin”), one old

and one young

Small representative furniture and food are also displayed on the

lower shelves

Tsurushibina (Hanging Hina Dolls)is a traditional Japanese craftwork, which is hung both sides of a hina-doll-altar for

the first hinamatsuri of the first daughter to wish her good health and good

relationships for the future. It was also a substitute for hina-doll-altars for ordinary

folks in old age

Tsurushibina (Hanging Hina

Dolls)

The dolls are often passed from

generations to generations, mother

to daughter

Dolls have been a part of Japanese culture for many years, and the phenomenon of collecting them is still practiced. Many collections are preserved in museums, including the Peabody Essex Museum, Kyoto National Museum, and the Yodoko Guest House

Every year, the Hina Ningyo (Hina doll set) are taken out of their boxes and are placed on stepped platforms laid with red cloth – a ritual that little girls enjoy and older women recall with fond nostalgia

Though they were made for little girls, the Japanese dolls are not the typical toys that children play with. In fact, they are actually quite expensive as they are handmade, with their faces hand-painted and silk kimono hand-sewn by master craftsmen

There are many other additional figures on display over the whole five tiers, but it is also common to find simplified displays which include only the top tier

Traditional paper tachibina, emblem of hina matsuri Hina doll mouse, wearing a kimono

Now exist  simplified Hina Dolls: A pair of clay Hina figurines as well as a pair of round Hina wooden Kokeshi. It is also common to find the imperial pair in anthropomorphic form, such zodiac animal or in this case, a pair of Hina Maneki Neko. Additionally, they may also be in the form of paper dolls, origami, chirimen craftworks, or framed drawing, and so forth.

In Hinamatsuri holidays, Japanese children also enjoy a variety of dishes typical of this festival. In particular, indispensable Hishi-mochi cakes are made in the form of diamond with bright colors, symbolizing the vitality of spring

Hishimochi Hishimochi and Hina-Arare

Hina Arare is colorful and cute small rice cracker. Colors of these rice crackers have meanings in it. White represents the earth of the winter, pink and red represent the life, and green represents green shoots in the spring. Hina Arare is the snack which shows our expectation that spring will come soon after the long cold winter.

People also say that you will live healthy for this coming year as you eat each color of Hina

Arare

Shirozake/ Amaze is a type of sake made from fermented rice. It is an indispensable drink for the Hina Matsuri celebrationsJapanese believe Shirozake will free them of illness to sustain youthfulness

Amazake is a low or non-alcoholic drink made from fermented rice koji. It is served warm and available as a liquid or powder mix, in a can or bottle. Shirozake, a sweet, pulpy liquor, made with shochu, mochi, mirin, and koji, is sold next to seasonal pink beer cans.

Typically, food such as below are served at Hinamatsuri festival:

“Hishimochi”, diamond shape rice cake

“Hina-Arare”, bite size crackers

“Shirozake”, sake made from fermented rice

“Hamaguri”, clam with shells served with salt-base soup

“Chirashi-Sushi”, scattered Sushi Hina Matsuri Flower Sushi

 “Chirashizushi” - Scattered SushiIt is a dish of vinegared sushi rice topped with colorful seafood and vegetable ingredients, served in a large bowl or on a plate.

Beautifully arranged ‘artistic’ dish is often prepared for celebrating special occasions or festivals, such as the Doll Festival, the Girls’ Festival on March 3

The dish is usually served cold, and the topped ingredients are typically cooked seafood and vegetables, rather than raw “Sashimi”. 

Standard toppings include;

•Simmered “Shiitake” Mushrooms•Vinegared “Renkon”, Lotus Roots•Shredded “Nori”, Seaweed•“Kinshi Tamago”, Shredded Egg Crepes•“Nianago”, Broiled Conger Eel•Cooked Shrimps•“Ikura”, Salmon Roe

Ingredients they put in Chirashizushi have meanings as well, Lotus roots is for seeing through things will happen in the future, shrimps for living for a long life till your back will be bent like shrimps are and so on...

They also eat osuimono (clear soup) made of clams. Because clams are double-shelled with the shells forming a pair parents hope their daughters will find a lifelong partner

Hamaguri Ushio-jiru

Clams are eaten because they consist of two perfect halves which only fit each other and symbolize the ideal couple, just like the Emperor and the Empress dolls

Hinacake

Over hundreds of years of history, the festival for girls at March 3 has become a unique culture in the life of Japanese people

Hina Ningyo (Girl’s Day Dolls) Sushi

Mizuno Toshikata, ca.1900

Nagashi Bina (kind of Hina matsuri doll)

There are also some other customs people do depending on the religion. One of them is “Nagashi Bina” which people throw dolls made from paper into the river in order to get bad lucks away

Sandawara (small round boat made of straw)

The ceremony of "Nagashibina” (dolls floated downriver) is traditional ceremony to pray for good health

Putting dolls of pair (wife and husband) with rice cake and branch of peach on "Sandawara” (small round boat made of straw) and release it on the flow of Sendaigawa (river).

Nagashi-bina is an event that involves dispelling impurities and misfortunes by floating dolls away on water

Sandawara (small round boat made of straw)

Maiko

 In earlier days Nagashi-bina took

place all over Japan, but the practice has

died out in most areas.

Only in Tottori City and Mochigase-cho in

Tottori Prefecture does nagashi-bina

survive today

As Nagashi-bina has become quite a rare event, in recent years it has come to attract visitors by the busload

As Nagashi-bina has become quite a rare event, in recent years it has come to attract visitors by the busload

It is designated as intangible folk cultural asset by the prefecture

“Nagashi Bina”

Another custom is to display Hina dolls on a tiered stand which is high like a pyramid

Text & pictures: InternetCopyright: All the images belong to their authors

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanuwww.slideshare.net/michaelasanda

Sound: Toshinori Yonekura - Baby baby baby 2016