One evening, while wandering the streets of Yonago, Tottori Prefecture, I walked into a shop whose name can be translated as “Mother and Child”.
The assortment there was varied - from small terry napkins for wiping children's faces to educational toys, in general, everything that can be useful for a mother in communicating with her child. And although at that time my children were already quite adults, and a grandson was just planned, I amused my inner child and bought several sets for traditional Japanese paper dolls. They sat on my shelf for a year and a half, and finally I got to them and was transported back to childhood - just in time for the Hina Matsuri holiday.
March in Japan is traditionally considered women's month. March 3 is the girls' holiday, which is affectionately called Hina Matsuri (Hina Doll Festival) or Momo-no Sekku (Peach Blossom Festival). In ancient times, it was celebrated on the 3rd day of the 3rd month simply as a seasonal event. At this time, the peasants were relatively free from agricultural work and could enjoy the first warm days when the peach trees began to bloom. The celebration of Hina Matsuri is based on several different traditions. One of them dates back to the Heian era (794-1185) - on this day, noble families invited spellcasters who performed special prayers aimed at transferring all the troubles of people to paper dolls, which were then allowed to float along the river or sea . These dolls were called "nagashi-bina" - dolls lowered down the river.
Initially, the holiday was celebrated only at court and among the military class, but soon quickly spread among the people. The national holiday of dolls became a national holiday in the 18th century, at which time the custom was added of organizing exhibitions of richly dressed dolls, depicting the life and customs of the imperial palace, in houses where there were girls. This custom continues to this day.
Now these are not paper dolls, but real works of art made of ceramics and silk, dressed in luxurious clothes. Hina dolls are not intended for everyday play; they are usually displayed in the central room of the house on a special shelf - hinadana - and simply admired for several days. Some of these doll sets are very expensive and are passed down in the family from generation to generation. Usually, when a girl is born in a family, the parents buy new set dolls, which is then supplemented by those dolls that relatives and friends give them. As a rule, the set includes at least 15 dolls dressed in ancient multi-layered red clothes. The most valuable and richly decorated are the dolls depicting the emperor (o-Dairi-sama) and the empress (o-Hime-sama) in ancient silk ceremonial outfits. The doll exhibitions are being prepared for March 3 and last about a month. There is a belief that dolls should not be displayed for a long time, as this delays the desired hour of marriage, so all items are carefully packaged and stored until next year. By March 3, the room where the doll exhibition is located is also decorated: balls made of artificial cherry and tangerine flowers are hung from the ceiling. Each ball is decorated with a hanging silk cord. On this day, girls in elegant kimonos, like real ladies, visit each other, give and receive gifts, treat themselves to special sweets and admire dolls. So, in a playful, relaxed manner, girls are taught the rules of good manners, the concept of character traits that a woman should have, and the ability to take care of valuable things, restraining their desires and whims.
Thus, the traditions of Hina Matsuri ideally combine wonderful play, a poetic perception of the world and traditional education. And peach flowers (momo), which give another name to the holiday, in Japan also symbolize feminine tenderness, kindness, gentleness and, as a result, happy marriage. It is no coincidence that quite a lot of weddings take place on the Hina Matsuri holiday.
And here are those same sets bought in a Japanese store, and what came out of them.
Each set contains a diagram, the necessary paper for work and even laces for the loops and belt on the obi.
I admit that it was not so much the desire to make these dolls that prompted me to buy, but rather the desire to touch real Japanese paper for crafts - it is simply a delight! Visual and tactile :)
So far I have only managed to make one of the four dolls. They're cool - s reverse side also good, you can play.
Of course, this is not origami; I don’t even know what to call such work correctly. But for the sake of a couple of dolls I won’t introduce a new tag, let it be like this.
So girls, happy yet another holiday to you! Let there always be a place in your soul for a little enthusiastic girl :)
On March 3, Japan celebrates the annual popular holiday "Hina Matsuri", which in Russian translation is called "Girls' Festival". "Hina Matsuri" - literally "Doll Festival" ("Hina" - doll, "matsuri" - holiday). It has several other names: “Joshi no sekku” - Festival of the first day of the snake; "Momo no Sekku" - Peach Blossom Festival.
On this day, in almost every home, richly dressed dolls called “hina-ninge” and depicting the life of the imperial court are displayed at a special “hinadan” stand.
The room where the dolls are displayed is decorated. The girls are dressed up in bright kimonos and visit each other. In a playful, relaxed manner, girls are taught the rules of good manners, the concept of character traits that a woman should have, and the ability to take care of valuable things, restraining their desires and whims.
"Hina Matsuri" perfectly combines play, poetic perception of the world and traditional education. Peach flowers, which give one of the names to the holiday, symbolize feminine tenderness, kindness, gentleness and, as a result, a happy marriage. It is no coincidence that many weddings are held on the Hina Matsuri.
There is a belief that dolls should not be displayed for a long time, as this delays the desired hour of marriage, so they stay in the house for about a month, and then they are packed again and put away until the next Girls' Day.
The material was prepared based on information from open sources
Who knows what this day is famous for in Japan? It is on this day, March 3, that the “Hina Matsuri”, in Japanese 雛祭 or in other words “Doll Festival,” is held in Japan. This holiday for girls is celebrated annually on the 3rd day of the 3rd month. On the eve of this day, in houses where there are daughters, a stepped stand covered with a red felt mat is installed in the guest room, and colorful dolls and other figurines are placed to represent the inhabitants of the imperial palace. This tradition has come from ancient times and is preserved in many homes to this day.
Dolls can be very different - expensive, valuable and very simple, but they all depict characters from the imperial court of the Heian era. At the very top, dolls depicting the emperor and empress in ceremonial costumes are placed against the background of a screen. This pair of dolls is called dairibina and symbolizes marital happiness, so they are given to newlyweds.
On the second step there are three court ladies, below - two ministers, musicians, servants, as well as items from palace use - palanquins, carts, furniture, lacquerware, boxes and other things. At the edges of the stand, two artificial trees are usually placed in a fence, representing a plum and a peach.
Thus, the entire design has a symbolic and benevolent meaning, right down to the tiny dogs that symbolize loyalty and devotion. The dolls are installed many days before the onset of March 3, and removed immediately after the end of the holiday, preferably on the same day. The Japanese have a belief that if you remove dolls at the wrong time, but later, the girls will get married late.
When a girl is born in a family, the young family is obliged to purchase such a set. Quite often, these dolls are passed down from generation to generation in a family, or even given to a daughter as a dowry. Hina-ningyo sets always take pride of place among the items in the home of every family, especially where there are daughters. It is precisely because of its beauty and often considerable price. Some ancient sets also have significant cultural value. For both girls and their families, hinakazari sets are very expensive.
The origin of Hina Matsuri dates back to a very long time, when in Japan there was a ritual of cleansing from diseases and evil forces with the help of straw or paper dolls. During the ritual, a person blew on the doll and then rubbed his body with it so that all the contamination of the soul and body would transfer to the figurine. Then the doll was thrown into the nearest river or stream: it was believed that all illnesses and adversities floated away with it. Gradually this custom underwent changes.
In the Heian era, dairibina began to be placed in the house on a sacred shelf - kamidana, where there were figurines of Shinto deities and tablets with the names of ancestors. From the end of the 17th century. religious tradition began to turn into a Puppet Festival. This is a kind and quiet holiday with its simple joys. Girls from seven to fifteen years old especially love it.
On this day, girls and their mothers in elegant clothes, usually in kimonos, solemn and ceremonious, like real ladies, visit each other, give and receive gifts, treat themselves to special sweets and admire the dolls displayed on stands. These dolls are never played with. After the holiday, they are carefully wrapped in paper, placed in boxes and put away until next year. Hina dolls are very cherished and are passed down from mother to daughter.
When I myself studied at a Japanese language school in Japan, I was taken as an arubaito to a store that sold sets of hina-ningyo dolls for March, and then go-gatsu-ningyo for May (I’ll also tell you about the boys’ holiday later). I really enjoyed working there. I learned a lot of interesting things not only about these dolls, but about this glorious holiday and its features.
Then I learned all the names, learned to place all the dolls and other toys correctly on the steps without prompting. My responsibilities in the store included many things: unpacking new dolls, placing them correctly on the steps, carefully and neatly packing those that customers bought. Every day I was obliged to dust off all the dolls on display in the sales area and make sure that all the items stood straight and in their places.
The store sold dolls for every color and taste, also for every budget. From simpler and inexpensive to very expensive. In one of the most honorable corners of the store, a separate pedestal with the Emperor and Empress of rather impressive size and unusually beautiful design was displayed. These dolls were made especially for the store by a very famous artist from Kyoto. This set cost about $10,000 at that time (several years ago). This was the most expensive set that was then presented in the store. But no one ever bought it. They just looked at it and admired it.
When I asked the store manager why there was such an expensive set here, no one buys it anyway, they told me that it was necessary for the status of the store. Well, and for decoration and pride, this set was made by a famous Kyoto master and exists in a single copy.
Later, when I more or less mastered the terminology and filled out the placement rules, they began to hire me to deliver dolls to Japanese homes to those who bought them. My responsibilities included not only bringing all the boxes and handing them over to the customers, but also unpacking them in order and then placing them on a stepped stand, that is, placing all the dolls correctly in their places. Moreover, I had to comment on all my actions and names for the owners of the house. This had to be done in a special apron and rag white gloves.
You should have seen the faces of the people we visited when they saw me! At first there was a huge surprise that a foreigner came to them at all, and then an even greater surprise when I started telling them in Japanese how and where to place them correctly! It’s a pity then I couldn’t photograph the facial expressions of Japanese families, it would have turned out to be an unusual photo album :)
It often turned out that the owners of the house knew much less about the dolls and the order of their correct placement on the pedestal than I, a foreigner, did. For me, this was both surprising and a source of pride:) I had a good and interesting part-time job back then.
Later, while working at a Japanese language school, this experience came in handy - I helped our teachers conduct a culture lesson dedicated to this holiday.
Every Japanese language school also displays very large and beautiful Hina-Ningyo sets. In the photo above you can see the sets at the school where I worked in Tokyo.
On March 3, teachers tell all students in each group about the traditions of this holiday, show dolls and explain the meaning of each item on the pedestal. In addition, our school served a special hour with sakura and Japanese sweets to accompany it. While drinking tea together, we discussed Japanese traditions and the wonderful girls' holiday Hina Matsuri. All the students were always very interested.
If you are in Japan, be sure to admire the Hina Ningyo and also take part in the Hina Matsuri festival. Maybe you know a Japanese family where you will visit for this holiday. Because on March 3rd it is also customary to serve a special green tea, sakura petals can float there, and special sweets that should be consumed along with green tea.
And if you go to study at a Japanese language school, you can see all this at the school and learn about the tradition of celebration from the teachers of the Japanese language school. It's very interesting and educational.
Hina Ningyo: Emperor and Empress
At home I also have 2 dolls as souvenirs - the emperor and the empress. Only without a pedestal and special bedding. True, after several moves between cities and countries, not everything was preserved, unfortunately. But we preserve the dolls as best we can :) As they should be, they stand in a place of honor.
Congratulations to everyone who has girls in the family on this spring holiday! I wish you happiness and prosperity!
On March 3, Japan celebrates the annual popular holiday "Hina Matsuri", which in Russian translation is called "Girls' Festival". "Hina Matsuri" - literally "Doll Festival" ("Hina" - doll, "matsuri" - holiday). It has several other names: “Joshi no sekku” - Festival of the first day of the snake; "Momo no Sekku" - Peach Blossom Festival.
On this day, in almost every home, richly dressed dolls called “hina-ninge” and depicting the life of the imperial court are displayed at a special “hinadan” stand.
The room where the dolls are displayed is decorated. The girls are dressed up in bright kimonos and visit each other. In a playful, relaxed manner, girls are taught the rules of good manners, the concept of character traits that a woman should have, and the ability to take care of valuable things, restraining their desires and whims.
"Hina Matsuri" perfectly combines play, poetic perception of the world and traditional education. Peach flowers, which give one of the names to the holiday, symbolize feminine tenderness, kindness, gentleness and, as a result, a happy marriage. It is no coincidence that many weddings are held on the Hina Matsuri.
There is a belief that dolls should not be displayed for a long time, as this delays the desired hour of marriage, so they stay in the house for about a month, and then they are packed again and put away until the next Girls' Day.
The material was prepared based on information from open sources
One of the main traditional holidays in Japan is Hinamatsuri Girls' Day, celebrated on March 3. Along with festive outfits For a thousand years, its constant attribute has been special Hina Ningyo dolls. Thanks to them, this solemn day is also known as dolls.
In ancient times, Hinamatsuri was celebrated on the third day of the third moon. According to custom, women and girls floated dolls made of paper along the river, which carried away evil spirits that caused misfortune and illness away from home. Over time, dolls began to be made from clay and gradually they turned into children's toys. Chin was kept in the depths of the house, where they absorbed all the bad energy.
The popularity of Hina dolls was so great that in the 18th century Hinamatsuri became National holiday. During the reign of shogun Yoshimune, who had many daughters, the custom of displaying hin in homes became widespread. The doll figurines became ceramic and were sewn especially for them. lush outfits from expensive fabrics.
A traditional hin set consists of 15 dolls, which are displayed on a stepped hinakazari stand. The upper tier is reserved for the Emperor and Empress - o-dairi-sama and o-hina-sama. These are the most beautiful dolls in the collection, dressed in lush ceremonial kimonos made of brocade and silk.
On the lower tiers of the hinakazari, the imperial court is established by seniority - court ladies, dignitaries and ministers, musicians, servants and warriors. At the very bottom of the stand there are various household utensils, furniture, boxes and food.
Hina dolls are displayed in houses for no more than a month, after which they are carefully collected and hidden until the next year. Traditional doll sets are often made by hand. They are quite expensive, so they are kept in families for decades, passed down from generation to generation.
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