Dolls festival March 3rd

The dolls festival takes place on march the 3 rd. Hina means dolls and matsuri means festival. It’s a time to pray for the health and well being of young girls. Most homes with young girls will set up a display of hina dolls. The dolls were originally made from straw and grass but have since become mass produced. Although the dolls festival don’t take place as much now people have stopped doing it because fisherman have been catching them in there nets. They now take them out to sea, and when the spectators are gone they take the boats out of the water and bring them back to the temple to burn them.

There are various types of Japanese dolls, some representing children and babies, some the imperial cart, warriors and heroes, fairy tale characters, gods and rarely demons, and also people of the daily life of Japanese cities. Many are still made today for household shrines, or for festival celebrations such as the dolls festival or children's day. some are manufactured as a local craft to be purchased at pilgrims as a souvenir of a temple visit or some other trip.

Most families with girls display special dolls for hinamatsuri and dedicate peach blossoms to them. They are usually displayed on a five ore seven tiered stand covered with a red carpet. At the top are the emperor and empress. The next step contains three court ladies followed by five musicians, two ministers and followed by three servants ending at the bottom in a five tiered display. There are also small pieces of furniture, small meal dishes, and other things.

Hina translates into dolls festival, but this fun holiday is more commonly known as girls day. Girls throughout Japan display their doll collection for a few days to celebrate ‘hina matsuri’. One legend says if a girls displays her doll for more than three days she will marry later on in life. In the weeks before hina matsuri you will see small and large displays exhibited with tiny furniture and other items. The dolls vary in prices and sizes. A set of hina dolls usually consists of fifteen dolls. Hina matsuri has been celebrated for many centuries throughout Asia, and as often in the case it said to have begun in China.

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