The 3rd of March is Hinamatsuri in Japan. It’s also called Japan’s Doll Festival or Japan’s Girl Festival. If you visit Japan at the end of February or early March, you can see some shops selling Japanese traditional doll sets called Hina Ningyou.
Japan’s Doll festival was traditionally known as the Peach Festival, it’s consistent with the Japan Children’s Day on the 5th of May (also called Kodomo no Hi). In the past, Hinamatsuri is on the 3rd of March in the Chinese calendar. After the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, it’s fixed on the 3rd of March.
Families normally ensure that girls have a set of dolls before their first Hinamatsuri and celebrate Hina Matsuri every year until girls graduate from primary school, before they marry, even married. It depends on families.
These Japanese dolls look delicate and gorgeous. But it has rules to display the set, the position of these dolls and accessories, and store away the set.
The Time Of Display And Store Away The Set
Normally people start to display it from the 4th of February (Spring Commences) to the middle of February, at least the week before Hinamatsuri.
After Hinamatsuri, people try to store away the set as soon as possible. Some people think that if you display or store away the set too late, it may postpone the date of their daughter’s marriage.
The Position Of These Dolls And Accessories
A seven-tiered doll stand (Hinadan) display with fifteen dolls includes the obina and mebina (the main male and female dolls) in tradition. Nowadays, some people use a three or five-tiered doll stand. The number of tiers and dolls a family may have depended on their budget.
