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Hina Matsuri Just like how we have our dolls festival in Navarathri, the Japanese too have a similar festival in Hina This festival has its origin about 1,000 years ago. This is a festival for celebrating girl's growth, health, and happiness. It is a traditional custom to display ceremonial dolls on tiers of shelves covered with scarlet carpet. These dolls are dressed in the fashion of the people of the ancient court. A full set of dolls usually consists of 15 dolls and it was believed the dolls protected people from sickness or ill - fortune.
On Hina Matsuri, girls invite their friends to a party and have a good time drinking sweet mild rice wine and eating diamond-shaped, three-layered rice cakes. The white layer symbolizes snow, the green is for new growth and pink is for peach flowers. It is said these Hina doll sets are taken down and put away as soon as possible after the festival day in the belief that the longer one waits to put them away, the longer the girl will have to wait to get married. Usually these family treasures will go with the bride to her own home to be shared with her daughter. The full set is an enormous one, replicating royal court of Heian period (8th century). Usually displayed on five storied terrace, with the Prince and Princess on the top terrace, then three court ladies, five musicians with each musical instrument, with tiny tools like dresser, chest, ox-carriage and etc. displayed. When a girl is born, parents buy for her, her first Hina Matsuri, "Hatsu zekku." The royal couple version, with only the Prince and Princess is very popular.
Hina dolls (Ohina-sama) are miniatures of Japanese court personages of about 1,000 years ago (Heian era). The dolls wear the old costumes of that time. At the top are the Emperor and Empress (Odairi-sama), on the second level are three court ladies (San'nin kanjo). They have several sakeholders with long handle (Nagae), sake cups (Sakazuki) and sake holders (Choshi). And on the third level are five court musicians (Gonin Bayashi). They play several traditional Japanese music instruments of flute (Fue), hand drum (Kozutsumi), big hand drum (kawara) and small drum (Taiko). The man who has a folding fan (Sensu) is a singer (Utaikata). There are also two ministers (Udaijin and Sadaijin), child doll (Goshoningy), small pieces of furniture, small meal dishes etc. The dolls are offered sweet white sake (Shirozake), rice cake cubes (Hina-arare), a festival feast, and peach flowers. If you want to see an actual Hina Matsuri dolls display, head to Manasthala, Cenetoph Road, Nandanam. Other
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Matsuri. This festival is celebrated every year on March 3rd and is often called the "Girl's Festival".
Hina is an ancient word meaning doll and matsuri means
festival. This festival has its origin about 1,000 years ago. This is a festival for celebrating girl's growth, health, and happiness. The Hina dolls were initially charms made of straw or paper placed near babies to protect them from
dreaded diseases and on March 3 floated down rivers in the belief that the dolls would carry away illness and misfortune.
Slowly, the simple dolls evolved into elaborately tiered array of Emperor and Empress, three ladies-in-waiting, five musicians, two retainers and three guards.
