As a small child, I thought that Japanese Girls' Day or Dolls' Day, hinamatsuri (ひな祭りor 雛祭り), was actually called Princess Day, as the Japanese word for doll (and chick), hina (雛) sounds similar to princess, hime (?). I was a dress-obsessed tomboy who on occasion made the boys in my class cry, but I still wanted to be a princess.
The origin of
hinamatsuri
is what most Japanese traditional customs are about. At the core of all the traditions and rituals lies a heart that clings to deeply superstitious roots?warding off evil demons in order to lead a carefree, happy life.
The custom of displaying the dolls on platforms covered with a crimsoned colored cloth started during the Heian period. In past times, people believed that the dolls had the ability to contain bad spirits. The ancestry of
Hinamatsuri
can be traced back to
hina nagashi
(雛流し), literally “doll floating.” Households with girls made
hina ningyou
(雛人形), or?
hina
dolls, out of straw and sailed them down the river in boats, supposedly taking all the potential misfortunes with them.
The customary drink for the festivities?for everyone, kids included?is
shirozake
(白酒), a sweet sake that contains enough alcohol (nine percent) to make parents cringe. But the various dishes are more child friendly:
Hina arare
:
Arare
(あられ) is a rice cracker named after hailstone or snow pellets. Usually
hina arare
are colorful and are flavored with soy sauce or sugar, depending on the region.
Hishi mochi
(菱?): A multi-layered rice cake, with colors red (pink), white and green, from top to bottom. In some areas of Japan, the red is replaced with yellow or the
mochi
may be five or seven layers instead of three. Shaped as a rhomboid in the Edo era, the sweet was believed to symbolize fertility.
Chirashizushi
(ちらし?司): Rice flavored with vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt. Traditionally topped with an assortment of raw fish,
sashimi
(刺身), and a variety of other ingredients.
Ushiojiru
(潮汁): A salt-based soup containing clams as the main ingredient. The clamshells symbolize the unity and peacefulness of a couple, as only two perfectly symmetrical twin shells can fit snugly together. Just like snowflakes, no two clamshells are alike.
Generally, families put the dolls up for display sometime in February and take them down immediately after
hinamatsuri.
Superstition claims that keeping the dolls up past March 4?will result in late marriage for the daughters.
So, come March 4, put your dolls away in cupboards or send them down the river?however you’d like to get rid of them. Your female offspring will marry young and live happily ever after.?The end.
Photos (top to bottom) by?Qingyue Li,?Nullumayulife, Izu Navi, Chispita_666, and Aotaro.