Dolls' Festival - the display

Posted by Japanalia (Yokohama, Japan) on 2 March 2008 in Lifestyle & Culture and Portfolio.

On March 3rd Japanese celebrate the "Dolls' Festival" (Hina Matsuri), also called "Girls' Festival" because it is about girls and woomanhood. The Festival has a thousand years history, but it was officially recognized in more or less the present form at the end of the 17th century. Museums still have some such dolls from the 18th century.
The full display consists of a seven-tiered stand where dolls and various objects are set according to a set of rules. On the top tier are the main dolls, the Empereor and Empress which must be served by ladies-in-waiting, musicians, guardians of the left and right and various other servants. The miniature objects include furniture and decorated carts.
Every family with daughters display such and arrangement a few days before March 3rd. If there is not enough space in the house, then only the main dolls - Emperor and Empress - should serve the purpose. Before the day is finished on the March 3rd, the dolls should be packed and put back in storage, otherewise the daughters in the house would remain unmarried.
The festival is a way for parents to pray for their daughters'good health and happy marriage. I was also told that the sets tend to be handed over from mother to daughter along the decades.There are dishes to be prepared especially for the day and girls invite their friends, playing hostess to them and the dolls, which are fed in tiny sets of bowls and cups.
Another name for the festival is "Momo no sekku", which means "The Peach Blossoms Festival" as the time for the peach trees coming in bloom follows the celebration.
The dolls, as they are known today, are exquisite works of art and also very expensive. But the pleasure to watch them as a display of art, skill and beauty is maybe worth the money! If such dolls are created by master doll makers - known as "Living Treasure" - the sky is the limit when it comes to the price.

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