Feast of Girls (Hina Matsuri)

March in Japan is an absolutely female month, as in addition to the usual 8 March there is celebrated "Momo-no sekku" (Feast of peach blossoms) or the Festival of girls, better known as "Hina matsuri" (Feast of puppets). It was originally celebrated on the 3rd day of the 3rd month as a seasonal event. At this time, peasants were relatively free from agricultural work and could enjoy the first warm days when peach trees began to bloom.

Hina Matsuri is based on several different traditions. One of them dates back to the Heian era (794-1185): on this day, enchanters were invited to noble families who performed special prayer services aimed at making all the troubles of people pass to paper dolls, who were then allowed to swim along the river or by sea. These dolls were called "nagsi bina" - dolls descending on the river.

Initially, the holiday was celebrated only at the court and among the military class, but soon spread quickly among the people. The national festival of puppets became in the 18th century, at the same time the custom was added to arrange in houses where there are girls, exhibitions of richly dressed dolls depicting the life and customs of the imperial palace.

This custom continues to this day. Now these are not paper dolls, but real works of art made of ceramics and silk, dressed in luxurious clothes. Dolls "Hiyna" or "Hina" are not intended for everyday games, usually they are exhibited in the best room of the house on a special shelf "Hinadan" and just a few days to admire them. Some of these sets of dolls are very expensive and passed on in the family from generation to generation, but usually, when a girl is born in the family, the parents buy a new set of dolls, which is then supplemented by those dolls that are given to them by relatives and friends. As a rule, the set includes at least 15 dolls dressed in old multi-layered clothes of red color. The most valuable and richly decorated are the dolls depicting the emperor and empress (0-Dairy-sama and 0-Hime-sama) in ancient silk ceremonial outfits.

Exhibitions of dolls are prepared for March 3, and last about a month. There is a belief that you can not exhibit dolls for a long time, as this delays the desired hour of marriage, so all items are carefully packed and stored until the next year. By March 3, the room where the exhibition of dolls is located is decorated: balls of artificial cherry flowers and tangerine trees are hung to the ceiling. Each ball is decorated with a hanging silk cord.

On this day, girls in elegant kimonos, like real ladies, go to visit each other, give and receive gifts, treat themselves to special sweets and admire dolls. So in a playful, relaxed form, girls are taught the rules of good tone, the concept of character traits that a woman should possess, and the ability to take care of valuable things, restraining their desires and whims. Thus, Hina Matsuri perfectly combines wonderful play, poetic perception of the world and traditional upbringing.

The peach flowers (momo), which gave the name to the holiday, in Japan also symbolize female tenderness, kindness, softness and, as a result, a happy marriage. It is no coincidence that there are a lot of weddings played on the festival of Hina Matsuri (Momo no Sekku).