On March 3 every year, Japan celebrates a special holiday dedicated to young girls. This day is known by many names, namely Hinamatsuri, Dolls Festival, Girls’ Day, and Peach Festival. Many traditions are associated with this day, including decorating the house with Hina dolls, eating special dishes, and attending festivals. Discover Japan’s Dolls Festival and its traditions in this article.
Table of Contents
- What is Hinamatsuri?
- How to Celebrate Japan’s Dolls Festival
- Japan’s Dolls Festival Food & Drink
- Where to Celebrate Dolls Festival in Japan
- To Close
What is Japan’s Dolls Festival? A Celebration Known by Many Names
Hinamatsuri, Dolls Festival, Girls’ Day and Peach Festival all refer to the same traditional celebration in Japan that is held on March 3rd every year. This day is dedicated to the commemoration of young girls’ health, prosperity, and happiness.
Hinamatsuri (雛祭り) and Momo no Sekku (桃の節句 Peach Festival) is the Japanese name for the celebration, while Dolls Festival and Girls’ Day are the English names.
Origins of the Dolls Festival
The origins of Japan’s Dolls Festival can be traced back to the Heian period. At this time, palace girls started playing with hina dolls (雛) made of paper in a game called “hina-asobi (雛遊び)”, meaning “doll play”. This game was combined with the Japanese belief of warding away evil spirits, and the Chinese belief of purification in the river. The tradition of “nagashi-bina (流しびな)” was born, where paper dolls would be released downstream in an act of purification.
Moving on to the Edo period, many changes took place during this time, including the gradual replacement of nagashi-bina with the custom of decorating with dolls, the introduction of 5 festivals by the Edo Shogunate including Momo no Sekku (桃の節句) for girls, and Tango no Sekku (端午の節句) for boys, and the replacement of simple paper dolls by luxurious ceramic hina dolls called “hina ningyo (雛人形)”. All these changes shaped the celebration we know as Hinamatsuri today.
Momo no Sekku (桃の節句)
March 3 is also known as Momo no Sekku, or Peach Festival. The name comes from the fact that peach blossoms bloom around March 3 of the lunar calendar. Peaches are believed to ward off evil spirits and represent happy marriages. Celebrated on the same day, peach blossoms are strongly associated with Hinamatsuri, and are frequently used as decorations along with dolls.
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How to Celebrate Japan’s Dolls Festival
In Japan, the Dolls Festival is celebrated by decorating one’s house with Hina dolls and peach blossoms, eating special dishes and sweets, and visiting shrines that hold Hinamatsuri events. And, in some parts of Japan, the traditional nagashi-bina (floating dolls) is still practised.
Decorating with Dolls and Peach Blossoms
The displaying of dolls for Hinamatsuri stems from the belief that the dolls would attract evil spirits into their own bodies, and in turn protect young girls. Dolls will usually start to be displayed near the end of February until March 3. The dolls must be taken down by March 4, or else it will bring bad luck, the most common belief being late marriage for girls.
A common custom in Japan is for families, either parents or grandparents, to buy a set of Hina dolls when a girl is born into the family. In some cases, the Hina dolls may be a family heirloom that is passed down through generations. These Hina dolls are valuable family treasures and hold great importance not only to the family, but to the overall preservation of Japanese culture.
Since March 3 is also known as Peach Festival, peach blossoms are also a common decoration alongside the dolls. Peach blossoms symbolise a happy marriage, and are also used to ward off evil spirits. These combined with their beauty make them an essential decoration for Dolls Festival.
Hina Dolls Arrangement
Hina Dolls may be made with different materials, arranged differently, or dressed differently. There are wooden dolls, paper dolls, and the most expensive, ceramic dolls. Elaborate doll sets may have a multi-tiered doll stand called “hinadan (雛壇)”, with each tier holding a doll of a different status. An entire set of dolls and accessories is called hinakazari “(雛飾り)”. What doll set you get depends entirely on your budget.
Image Credit : © 2023 雛人形・京雛・京人形の桂甫作安藤人形店/京都 .
The standard Hina Doll set is a 7 tier set called “hina-ningyo shichi-dan kazari (雛人形七段飾り)”. Here is a breakdown of what each tier consists of :
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Top Tier : The imperial family (親王). The official names are “Obina (男雛)“ for Emperor, and “Mebina (女雛)” for Empress.
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Second Tier : Three court ladies (三人官女) that serve the imperial family.
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Third Tier : Five court musicians (五人囃子), each holding a musical instrument except the singer who holds a fan.
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Fourth Tier : Two court ministers (随臣) that are divided by right minister and left minister. Serve as the Emperor’s bodyguard or administrators of the palace.
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Fifth Tier : Three helpers/attendees (仕丁) to the imperial family who performs chores like cleaning. Known as crying drinker (泣き上戸), angry drinker (怒り上戸), and laughing drinker (笑い上戸). Carries the wish for a child to grow up well with many expressions.
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Sixth / Seventh Tier : Assortment of items used by the imperial family, including furniture, chests, mirrors, utensils, and ox cart.
※ 寿鳳人形の東芸, “What are HINA-DOLLS?” ※ 京都 桂甫作安藤人形店, “桂甫作安藤人形店の七段飾り（官女・五人囃・随臣・仕丁）”
Hinamatsuri Dolls Festival Food & Drinks
Every Japanese celebration has its own special dish for celebrating the occasion, and Hinamatsuri is no different. Let’s have a look at the food and sweets that are synonymous with Dolls Festival.
Chirashizushi ちらし寿司
Chirashizushi is known as “scattered sushi” in Japanese, “chirashi (散らし)” meaning “scattered”. It is essentially a deconstructed sushi with all the ingredients to make sushi gathered in a bowl and served. It is the classic festive food to celebrate Hinamatsuri. The colourful ingredients of raw fish, shredded egg crepe, fish roe, shredded seaweed, etc. as toppings on the sushi race make it a vibrantly coloured rice dish.
Temarizushi てまり寿司
Cute and elegant bite-sized round pieces of sushi. Originally not a Hinamatsuri dish, it has become popular as a Hinamatsuri food because of how lovely it looks and its small size makes it easy for young girls to eat.
Hamaguri Ushio-jiru はまぐり潮汁
Clear clam soup is another classic Hinamatsuri dish that is incredibly easy to make. Why clams? They symbolise marital harmony and so it is had on this day to wish for young girls to have a happy married life and a wonderful partner in the future. It is also a common dish at weddings.
Hishi-mochi 菱餅
A traditional sweet that is symbolic of Hinamatsuri. This diamond-shaped sweet is made of three layers of pink, white and green mochi with each colour representing a prayer from parents for their daughter’s health, safety, and happiness.
Hinaarare ひなあられ
Hinaarare, in the same colours as hishi-mochi, is a crispy colourful snack that is famous as a Hinamatsuri Festival food. It tastes different depending on the region; it is sweet in Kanto and savoury in Kansai.
Sakura-mochi 桜餅
Pink coloured mochi wrapped in pickled sakura leaf. It is also a traditional Japanese sweet (wagashi) that symbolises the season of spring. Its cute pink colour makes it a great match for Hinamatsuri’s theme. The opposite of sakura-mochi is kashiwa-mochi (柏餅), mochi wrapped in oak leaves, which is eaten on Boys’ Day.
Shirozake 白酒 ・ Amazake 甘酒
Shirozake and Amazake are traditional drinks commonly drunk on Dolls Festival. Shirozake and Amazake may sound and look very similar but their alcohol content is very different. Both drinks are made by fermenting rice, but while Amazake contains little (around 1%) to no alcohol, Shirozake has a high alcohol percentage of around 10%.
During the Edo period, Shirozake became a popular alcohol beverage among women. It seems that a long time ago, women enjoyed Shirozake whilst admiring the peach blossoms on Peach Festival day. Since minors cannot drink Shirozake, they drink Amazake instead.
※ The legal age to drink alcohol in Japan is 20. Drinking and driving is illegal in Japan.
Other Colourful Sweets and Snacks
Other colourful sweets like Konpeito, three coloured dango, sugar coated jelly, coated beans, hard candy, etc. also make an appearance during Dolls Festival. Sold in supermarkets, they are usually decorated for Hinamatsuri in pink colour and with peach blossoms, and add to the festive atmosphere.
Where to Celebrate Dolls Festival in Japan
Dolls Festival is usually a family holiday celebrated by families who have daughters, but that does not mean you cannot join in on the fun. Enjoying the food and decorating your home are some things you can do, but there are also events you can participate in.
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Katsuura Big Hinamatsuri ビッグひな祭り(Chiba Prefecture) : Display of over 4,000 Hina Dolls around Tomisaki Shrine and the central shopping district. The entire town will be dyed in Hinamatsuri colours.
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Machikado Hanameguri まちかど雛めぐり (Saitama Prefecture) : Iwatsuki Town where the event is held is famous for producing Japanese dolls. Hina Dolls display and many other events including hina doll making & painting experience, dressing-up as a doll, and event limited food.
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Hina no Tsurushikazari Matsuri 雛のつるし飾りまつり (Shizuoka Prefecture) : Hanging “Tsurushibina (つるし雛)” decorations for Hinamatsuri is a custom that began in Izu Inatori. Enjoy looking at the different ways this town celebrates Hinamatsuri.
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Hinamatsuri Sagemon Meguri 雛祭りさげもんめぐり (Fukuoka Prefecture) : The biggest Hinamatsuri festival in Fukuoka is held in Yanagawa City. Traditional decorations called “Sagemon” are used all around town, and there is even a river parade.
To Close
Dolls’ Festival is a special celebratory day that plays an important role in the life of young girls in Japan. It carries the hopes of parents who love their children and wish for them to have a happy, healthy, and prosperous future. Hinamatsuri is, most of the time, a family celebration but you can also join in the fun by visiting Chiba, Saitama and Fukuoka where large celebrations are held.
Popular manga and anime Series "Hinamatsuri" has nothing to do with Hinamatsuri?
©2018 大武政夫・KADOKAWA刊／ヒナまつり製作委員会
Have you heard of the popular manga & anime "Hinamatsuri"? Though having the same name, the anime & manga series has nothing to do with Japan's traditional Hinamatsuri celebration. So why is it titled "Hinamatsuri (ヒナまつり)"?
This is because the series's protagonist is named Hina. The comedy series is about super-powered Hina and her life with yakuza member Nitta Yoshifumi after she crash lands on his head in a strange capsule. Their strange life begins with hilarious antics and weird visitors, which is where the "matsuri" part of the title comes in.
In conclusion, the series "hinamatsuri" has nothing to do with the Hinamatsuri celebration in Japan. The series's title "hinamatsuri" actually refers to the protagonist Hina's life which is loud, sometimes explosive, and incredibly hilarious, just like a matsuri's atmosphere.
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