Today, 3rd March we celebrate a day for girls.
There is a Doll festival that is for wishing and celebrating girl's growth and happiness.
Most families with little girls display beautiful dolls in ancient court costomes called 'hina' at their home.
we offer diamond shaped rice cakes and alcohol-free sweet sake to the dolls.
Little girls also eat colored cubic rice crackers, drink sweet sake, and enjoying viewing the dolls.
We decorate with peach flowers for the dolls.
I bought this peach flower for today's celebration.
this one has not yet bloomed, but it has big buds, they will be blooming soon.
This next photo is of the 'hina ninngyou" special dolls at my parents home.
My mother decorates for me and my sister every year in this season.
She sent me this photo. :)
I refer some information of hina ningyo.
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A trasditionl set of dolls is laid out on a seven stepped stage.
A formal set of hina dolls consists of the Enperore and the Enpress, three court leadies, five musicians, two ministers and three servants.
They are arranged on five or seven stepped shelves that are covered by a red cloth.
The word hina means a small doll. In the ancient days, people made dolls by themselves that threw the dools into a river along with offerings.
It was believed that sickness and ill fortune would flow away down the river with them.
Today hina dolls are sold in specially shops or department stores but they are very expensive.
Therefore they are customarily handed down for generations.
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Every year my parents decorate these dolls for us since we were children.
They look almost the same since that day, beautiful sweet dolls.
I appreciate for them and my mother.
Thanks for posting this interesting article Aco :)
ReplyDeleteIt's nice that your mother still takes part in this tradition.
Please send some photos when the flowers bloom :)
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