Doll's Festival is Going on in Mashiko Town

My wife and I went to Mashiko town to have lunch at a local restaurant 'kabocha-an' the other day. On the same day, we visited a pottery museum.

After seeing artworks at the museum, we found an old small Japanese house next to the museum. The house was open to everyone to see hina dolls displayed to cerebrate Hinamatsuri festival.

Hinamatsuri is a seasonal festival, called sekku, on March 3. The festival is also considered as a day for girls, most families with girls display a set of dolls to wish for girls' healthy growth and happiness as a Japanese tradition.

The local restaurant 'kabocha-an' was famous for serving dishes used pumpkins as food ingredients.

Dolls Have Come Back on Display

Hina Matsuri or Doll Festival takes place on March 3 known as a "Girls' Day" in Japan.

Families pray for their daughters' happiness, prosperity, health and being beautiful forever.

The first "Girls' Day" for a girl is called her hatzu-zekku.

On the day, it is popular for the girl's granparents to buy her dolls.

The dolls in the picture were bought by my parents to celebrate Rina's hatzu-zekku.



Most families take out dolls around mid-February and put them into place immediately after Hina Matsuri is over.

There is a superstition that families slow to put the dolls away will have trouble of their daughters marrying.