Hinamatsuri, also known as the Hina Doll Festival or Momo no Sekku (Peach Festival), is celebrated in Japan on March 3. Families display Hina dolls to wish for the health and happiness of girls. The dolls are often brought out around Risshun, the beginning of spring in early February.
My grandmother used to tell me three things about displaying Hina dolls:
1. Choose a sunny day to put them on display.
2. Do not wait until the day before the festival, as a one-night display is considered unlucky.
3. After the festival, put them away promptly on a sunny day, or you might marry late.
These old sayings may make us smile today, but I always wished I could keep the dolls on display a little longer.
My grandparents bought me a seven-tiered set of Hina dolls, and we displayed them every year. I loved them dearly. My parents, however, were quite strict about putting them away the day after the festival.
Sadly, the dolls were damaged when a typhoon struck our house while I was in middle school. It is still a painful memory.
I have noticed that the faces of Hina dolls change subtly from one era to another. When I became an adult and considered buying a Hina doll for myself, the faces of the dolls I saw seemed unfamiliar. They were different from the faces I remembered so well—the dolls my grandparents had given me.
Perhaps one day I will find a Hina doll whose face I truly love. If I do, I will buy it. I may no longer be a little girl, but I will always love what I love.
Photo by classico.
