Hinamatsuri — Girls’ Day in Japan
March 3 · Level 2 · #1799 of 2238
Hinamatsuri is Japan’s celebration of girls’ health and happiness. Its signature sight is a display of ornamental hina dolls representing the imperial court, turning a corner of the home into a miniature scene of ceremonial splendour.
How it is celebrated: families arrange their dolls, decorate with peach blossoms and enjoy special foods. These include layered hishi-mochi rice cakes, crunchy hina-arare snacks and chirashizushi topped with colourful ingredients.
Some communities preserve a custom called nagashi-bina, in which small dolls are set afloat on water. They symbolically carry troubles and misfortune away with them.