This past week, we celebrated Girls' Day or Dolls' Day here in Japan. If you want to take a stab at saying it in Japanese, its Hinamatsuri (hee-na-maht-serri). Its basically a day for girls and women to celebrate/pray for health and happiness. Mind you this particular holiday does NOT get you off work. But Boys' Day probably does. Anyhoo...
Originally gals would make paper dolls and float them down the river to symbolize ill-fortunes flowing away. I don't think they do that much anymore, though. I'm sure the turtles and other amphibians are pleased with the recent turn of events since surely they've been plagued with generations of bad mojo thrown into their waters.
Most families display special dolls - called Hinaningyou - for the month. I saw a few elaborate set ups and then ones that were feeble attempts to keep the tradition alive. The immediate comparison in my head was a Nativity Scene. Not because the dolls are religious in nature, but I feel like a lot of our families had large beautiful creches at one point, but recent generations feel they do not have the time nor storage to display them fully anymore. Maybe you get a Baby Jesus and Mary out there these days, kind of like how Japanese get the Emporer and Empress dolls out, but not the other 30 some figurines.
It was fortunate that our Japanese American Friendship Group landed on Girls' Day this month - I was in good company to learn about the holiday. The cutie patootie Japanese women sang a special Hinamatsuri song for us. We also ate peach, white, and green foods since they are the colors of the holiday. Side note: I'm still having a really hard time enjoying mochi. Its sweet and and its rice which are two things I love, but in combination something has gone horribly wrong.
Japanese friends singing Hinamatsuri song:
More of the song (baby Paxton is not sure what is going on):
And lastly, not a video, but a picure of my obsession for the day. I got to meet Kayoko-san's dog, a dachshund named Lucky. Which is an unfortunate name for a Japanese dog since it is difficult for many Japanese to form the "L" sound. So incidentally, he also goes by Rucky.
I think all us ladies tuckered him out.
I think all us ladies tuckered him out.
