The doll’s festival 2017/03/03
March 3rd is the day of the doll’s festival, in other word, the girl’s festival.
They cerebrate the day by displaying traditional beautiful dolls with fresh peach blossoms and paper lanterns.
It is said the cerebration originated from an old custom in Heian era (794-1185), which prayed children’s healthy grown up.
Originally they disposed dolls made from paper to rivers or sea after the cerebration, however gradually it became common to make gorgeous dolls which could be used for many years. During Edo era (1603-1867), it became popular to display as many as 15 or 17 beautiful artistic dolls on 5 or 7 steps shelves.
They displayed and enjoyed such gorgeous dolls together with traditional diamond shape rice cake and white sake made from rice. Those cakes and wines were specially designed and prepared for that particular festival.
Moreover they handed over those dolls from mothers to daughters and granddaughters together with traditional custom of drinking and dining Japanese traditional cakes and wines. Therefore there are tremendous numbers of precious old dolls which have been kept cautiously in each house and remained in good condition.
Recently it has become fashion to display such precious dolls in public, especially at rural old houses just as dolls were displayed 200- 300 years ago.
Each doll put on beautiful old style Japanese clothes and has a specific tool or instrument as per each role. Therefore foreigners and sight viewers who visit to see the display of dolls can enjoy total Japanese art in old fashioned atmosphere.
