Today, March 3rd is the day of girl's festival. A lot of families that have female kid display special dolls and celebrate the day with eating chirashi-zushi, shell soup, colorful small rice crackers and drinking amazake; a sweet drink made from fermented rice. These special dolls are usually presented by the girl's parents or grand parents when she was born. People start displaying it in the beginning of spring and take away in the next day of the festival since it is said it makes them give daughter early into happy marriage. In every display, the main things; the Emperor and the Empress are there. Their style is that of Heian Era.
I like looking at these displays, especially greater scale ones. Because, there are a lot of people and stuffs that we had in that era, and they are really made well. Maybe you'll feel what I'm saying now when you take a look at them once, and you will be impressed. So, the girl's day display is really popular in Japan, and everyone knows about the day. There is even a very popular song about the festival day.
Ureshii Hinamatsuri (Happy Girl's Festival)
Let's put the light on lamps
Let's put the flowers; peach flowers
Five musicians are playing the flute and the drums
Today's Happy Girl's Festival
The Emperor and the Empress
They are beside each other and have a clear face
The court lady's white face looks like
My sister that came to be my brother's wife
The spring wind that is slightly swinging
The light reflected in the gold folding screen
The Cabinet minister right side has a red face
Maybe he had some white sake
Wearing kimono and putting on an obi
Today I'm in my best clothes too
This good day in spring, March
It's the happier thing than anything, Hinamatsuri
6 comments:
"My sister that came to be my brother's wife" !?!?!?!?! @_@;
Ah...I wondered how to translate it, lol. In old days, marriages are like a thing between two persons, but between two families. So, it is like girls' parents give their daughter to the other family as the family's wife.
Wow... I'm speechless.
What an interesting festival.
What part is interesting, tell me! :P
Everything! Especially those dolls! I didn't know such a festival existed.
The whole cultural tone fascinates me.
Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!
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