Hina Matsuri – Girls’ Festival

March 3 is the Hina Matsuri Festival or Girls’ Festival in Japan. On this day, rice cakes and other foods are prepared in the hope that the girls will grow up strong and healthy.

As a tradition, a stepped altar ( hina kazari ) of about 5 to 7 steps is arranged, covered with a red cloth. In it, several dolls (ningyō (人形)) dressed in traditional kimonos are arranged, being located on the different levels of the altar. On the first step is the imperial family, representing the father and mother, followed by assistants and musicians on the next steps. They are all dressed in traditional court dress from the Heian period.

Altars are often inherited as a family heirloom. A set of five levels of this altar is usually very expensive, depending on the quality. There is the “shortened version” of this decoration, where only the father and mother are represented. This decoration is known as shinnō kazari.

Formerly this type of doll was called “hina” hence the name of the festival, although also because, to refer to the chicks ( hiyoko ), the word ” hina ” is also used

This day is also known as the day of the peach , since the flowers of this tree bloom at this time of year.

Traditionally, the altar is set up one day before Hina Matsuri and removed the day after the festival, since there is a superstition that in this way the daughter or daughters will marry at the appropriate or favorable age, however, currently, some families leave it for the entire month of March. The altar display is usually stopped when the girls turn 10 years old.

Typical foods for this day include hina-arare (rice cakes), chirashizushi (raw fish and vegetables over rice in a bento box or container ), hishi mochi (multi-colored rice cakes), ichigo daifuku (strawberries wrapped in pasta adzuki bean soup ), and ushiojiru (clam chowder). The usual drink is shirozake (or amazake ), a non-alcoholic sake.
Amazake , ushiojiru and hishi mochi are traditional foods for this day.