Hina Matsuri: Dolls and Deli
On March 3rd, Japan celebrates Hina Matsuri, the Japanese Doll Festival, also known as the “Girl’s Day", an important event, especially for families with daughters.
The Hina matsuri originates from an ancient Chinese tradition: Through a magical rite, the evil spirits were transfered into a doll that was placed on a boat and cast away on a river.
The custom was initially known in Japan as the Hina nagashi - floating dolls. Let’s watch a recording from the Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto:
At the beginning of the Edo period, a new custom appeared, to display inside the house a set of dolls dressed in Heian period clothing.
The full set of Hina Matsuri dolls (hina-ningyo) consists in 15 dolls, the most important being the Emperor (Odairi-sama) and the Empress (Ohina-sama), placed on the uppermost step of the stand…
[Source: Muza Chan]
china, chinese, deli, dolls, floating dolls, girl's day, heian, heian period, hina, hina matsuri, hina nagashi, japan, japanese, kyoto, matsuri, nagashi, otakuden, otakuden.com, shimogamo, tradition
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