What is Hinamatsuri? Hinamatsuri is also known as Doll’s Festival.

About Hinamatsuri

Hinamatsuri is celebrated on March 3.
Hinamatsuri is also known as “Doll’s Festival”, and popular event to decorate Hina dolls and pray for young girls’ growth and happiness.

For a long time in Japan, there has been a custom of purification by touching a doll to transfer the bad luck of a person to the doll, and then to drain it into the river.
In the Edo period, the Hinamatsuri was formed by the combination of the purification and “Hiina Asobi”, a play for aristocratic children.
Since the mid-Edo period, the Hinamatsuri (Doll’s Festival) has been popular among ordinary people as an annual girl’s festival.

Recently, there are many home decorating only the Emperor(odairi-sama) and the Empress(ohina-sama), but in the seven-stage Hina dolls, in addition to three court ladies and five musicians, there are drawers, mirror stand, tea ceremony utensils and so on.

It is said that Hinamatsuri (Doll’s Festival) imitated the wedding in the Imperial Palace.
Furniture is a wedding tool.

For reference, “Tango no sekku” on May 5th is also known as Children’s Day, a festival to pray for the healthy growth and happiness of boys.

What is Tango no sekku? On May 5th is also known as Children's Day.About Tango no sekku (端午の節句) “Tango no sekku” on May 5th is also kn...

How long is Hinamatsuri display from when to when?

When do you start decorating Hina dolls?

Hina dolls are decorated in order to transfer the bad luck of girls to the dolls and then to drain it into the river.
It is decorated not only on the day of March 3rd but also for a long time because it has the meaning of purification.
It is said that the best time to start decorating is around mid-February.

How long will you decorate Hina dolls?

It is generally said that the Hina dolls must be cleared up early after March 3rd, but there are many places where the dolls are displayed throughout March.

The roots of the Hina dolls festival are originally said to be March 3 of the lunar calendar. It is early April in the current calendar. Therefore, depending on the area, some dolls are displayed until the end of March or early April.

Hinamatsuri event food

In Doll’s festival, we eat traditional dishes like Kusa-mochi, Chirashi-sushi, clam soup, sweet white Japanese sake(shirozake), sweet rice crackers (Hina-arare) for the Doll’s Festival.

Kusa-mochi (grass rice cake)

It is said that Mugwort (Yomogi) get rid of bad energy.
Kusa-mochi is a gift of the Hina Matsuri.
In the Heian period, it is said that Kusa-mochi have been made from gogyo, one of the seven herbs in spring.

Chirashi-sushi

The colorful ingredients are scattered on top of the vinegared rice.
Chirashi sushi, which uses a lot of colorful and auspicious ingredients, has become indispensable for celebration.

Hina-arare

Hina-arare are bite-sized sweet rice crackers whose colors are pink, green, yellow and white and so on.

Hinamatsuri Origami workshop

We experienced an origami workshop for folding Hina dolls held in Asakusa.
(The workshop has already finished for a limited time workshop.)
https://www.fitspot.jp/User/Item/Detail/Hinamatsuri-Origami/344185

In this workshop, we folded Hina doll(Hina-ningyo). the Emperor(odairi-sama) and the Empress(ohina-sama).
I folded origami after a long time, so it was difficult to fold at first.
But as I folded the origami, I was able to fold while reminiscing the old days.
The important point is to fold correctly at the corners.

Here, it ’s done.

Hinamatsuri Origami workshopHinamatsuri Origami workshop Today, we would like to tell Hinamatsu...