Hinamatsuri

In traditional Japanese culture, March 3rd is Hinamatsuri, also known as Girl's Day. It is celebrated as the Japanese Doll festival. Sandy's mom Satoe, keeps this custom alive. She has a collection of ornamental dolls which she brings out and displays on a platform covered with a red carpet. The custom of displaying dolls began during the Heian period. Formerly, people believed the dolls possessed the power to contain bad spirits. Hinamatsuri traces its origins to an ancient Japanese custom called hina-nagashi in which straw hina dolls are set afloat on a boat and sent down a river to the sea, supposedly taking troubles or bad spirits with them. Today, we used this occasion to dress Megan in her very first kimono. This same kimono was actually Sandy's very first kimono as well. It was first worn by Sandy when she was six years old as seen in the photo below. Satoe kept it all this time in hopes of passing it along to Sandy's daughter one day. As you can see, that special day has finally come.


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