Hinamatsuri 雛祭り Doll Festival, Girls´ Day, by Kari Gröhn karigrohn.com karigrohncom

Hina Matsuri Doll Festival 雛祭り
Girls´ Day is celebrated 3 March in Japan. On this day, parents wish their daughters' happiness, growth, and good health. A set of ornamental dolls representing the Emperor, Empress, attendants, and musicians in traditional court dress of the Heian period, are displayed on platforms covered with a red carpet.
Even families without daughters might display dolls. In families with only sons (or no children at all), these are often the mother´s own Hina Dolls brought from her parents´ home. Then there are those without family who simply like to decorate their apartments with Hina Doll motifs just to get into the spirit of the season.
Families generally start to display the dolls in February and take them down immediately after the festival. An old belief says that leaving the dolls past 4 March will result in a late marriage for the daughter. These days there are also many families which do not follow the custom of promptly putting the dolls away.
In an ancient Japanese custom called nagashi-bina (floating doll), the sin of the body and misfortune are transferred to a doll. Then the doll is set afloat on a straw boat and sent down a river to the sea. The third day of the third month was a day of purification in the Shinto religion from ancient times. The use of dolls in the purification rites is mentioned in the Tale of Genji, written nearly a thousand years ago. The tradition of displaying hina dolls did not begin till the Edo period, in the 17th Century.
The platform of hina dolls (hina dan)
The top tier holds two dolls, known as imperial dolls. These are the Emperor, holding a ritual baton, shaku, and Empress, holding a fan. The dolls are usually placed in front of a gold folding screen and placed beside green Japanese garden trees. Optional are the two lamp stands, and the paper or silk lanterns, which are usually decorated with cherry or plume blossom patterns. Complete sets would include accessories placed between the two figures, composing of two vases of artificial peach branch.
The second tier holds three court ladies. Each holds sake equipment. The lady on the right is the long-handled sake-bearer, the lady on the left is the backup sake-bearer, and the only lady in the middle is the seated sake bearer. Accessories placed between the ladies are stands with round table-tops for seasonal sweets.
The third tier holds five male musicians. Each holds a musical instrument except the singer, who holds a fan.
Two ministers may be displayed on the fourth tier. The Minister of the Right is depicted as a young person, while the Minister of the Left is much older. Both are sometimes equipped with bows and arrows. Between the two figures are covered bowl tables, as well as diamond-shaped stands bearing diamond-shaped rice cakes. Just below the ministers: on the rightmost, a mandarin orange tree, and on the leftmost, a cherry blossom tree.
The fifth tier, between the plants, holds three helpers or samurai as the protectors of the Emperor and Empress. From left to right Maudlin drinker, Cantankerous drinker, and Merry drinker.
On the sixth and seventh tiers, a variety of miniature furniture, tools, carriages, etc. are displayed. These are items used within the palatial residence: chest of drawers, long chest for kimono storage, smaller clothing storage box, mirror stand, a smaller chest of drawer with a mirror on top, sewing kit box, braziers, and utensils for the tea ceremony.
On the seventh platform these are items used when away from the palatial residence: a set of nested lacquered food boxes, a palanquin, an ox-drawn carriage, and an ox drawing a cart of flowers.
Ureshii Hinamatsuri, Happy Hina Matsuri (lyrics)
Let's light the paper covered lamps
Let's give flowers, peach flowers (to doll)
Five (doll) musicians with flute and taiko
Today is the enjoyable Hina Matsuri
The Emperor and Hina dolls
The two lined up with straight faces
My sister-in-law who, coming as a bride
Looked similar to the (doll) court lady's white face
On the golden folding screen, the light
Gently flickers in the Spring breeze
Did you have a little white sake?
The Minister of the Right doll with the red face
Changing clothes; tying the obi
Today I also will dress in my finest
For this special Spring day
More than anything - Hina Matsuri
Hinamatsuri 雛祭りby Kari Gröhn karigrohn.com karigrohncom