Hinamatsuri celebrates the girls of Japan

Hinamatsuri is one of the many important festivals celebrated for girls in Japan. Every year on March 3 , people celebrate the health and good fortune of young girls. Although the direct translation is ‘ Doll Festival ‘, it is also commonly known as Girl’s Day .

This festival began to be celebrated during the Heian era (794-1192) although at the beginning it was called Hina-nagashi (floating doll). To celebrate this day, people would put paper dolls and float them in the rivers. The belief was that these dolls would carry evil and impurities with them as they floated down the river and out into the sea. Parents wished their daughters good health as they floated these dolls in the river, leading to the birth of Hinamatsuri . Its symbolic importance was so strong that it was one of the five annual ceremonies held at the imperial court .

In addition to carrying the dolls to the river, the custom in the Heian period also included displaying dolls as ornaments and arranged on a platform covered with a red carpet. These dolls would represent the renowned occupations of the imperial court. According to tradition, parents must prepare these dolls for their first daughter who will do the same with their daughters and so on from generation to generation.

Placement of the dolls on the platform

The placement of the dolls on the platform as shown in the image above is always the same. To represent their royal status, the emperor and empress always sit on top (1) . On the next platform are the three ladies of the court (2) followed by five male musicians (3) . Two ministers are seated on the next platform (4) and the samurai stand on the last platform to protect those above them. Traditional Japanese tools and furniture decorate the rest of the platforms.

The Hinamatsuri platforms or altars that are arranged in the houses are smaller, some only adorn them with the imperial couple or with fewer figures.

And for some cities and temples it is quite an event!

It is very common to see these dolls arranged on the platforms a few days before March 3 (Hanamatsuri Day). They have become so popular that there are even modern versions of Hina dolls, such as the Disney or Nanoblock versions. If you are in Japan at this time, you will surely see these platforms or altars in supermarkets, businesses, stores and shopping centers.

Many places in Japan expose these platforms or altars to be able to admire them and for the little ones to know all the history behind this very traditional event in Japan. We went to a museum and we could see many altars, some dating from the 18th century! We loved it! We show you in this video:

On our YouTube channel we made the recipe for Chirashizushi , it is a relatively easy and very tasty recipe!