Girl's Day is one of the ご節句 (gosekku) in Japan, which means that it is one of the five annual, national holidays that were observed by the Japanese imperial court in the Nara period (710-784AD). The annual holidays take place on new years, 3/3, 5/5, 7/7, and 9/9. These are odd number days that overlap, and according to the Chinese philosophies of yin and yang, a combination of two odd numbers were deemed unlucky. This concept was brought over to Japan, and the gosekku holidays or festivals, were created to counteract these negative vibes and celebrate the changing of the season.
During the Heian period (794 to 1185), aristocratic children would play with puppets or dolls, and since the Chinese philosophy of the turning of the seasons had gained popularity, the two become conflated. The children would take paper dolls called OO to the rivers and allow them to be washed up or down stream with the hopes that the dolls take all illness and injuries with them. Since the dolls have since become more elaborate and fancy, you won't find them being washed away in rivers. Families instead put up elaborate doll displays in their homes. Nevertheless, there are still some places in Japan where you can practice the tradition with paper dolls.
The, porcelain, wooden, or plastic dolls are usually put on display from February 4th. This is important because the turning of the seasons is best time to use apotropaic magic. The dolls are said to be substitutes for girls and will absorb all injury, illness, and ward off bad luck. Since the dolls are believed to have taken in a lot of negative energy, it is best to take them down soon after Girl's Day is over. Also, since the display of the dolls represents an imperial marriage ceremony, the dolls are also a symbol of marriage and if the dolls are not taken down soon, it is said your daughter will get married late.
There are a variety of displays and set-ups, but the type you will find widespread are the hanging doll type and dolls which are placed on alters. You may find that many places showcase exhibits of the dolls during this time, and you'll find that they display the Heian era emperor and empress at the top, and over time has evolved to incorporate many other court nobles, causing some displays to be seven or eight tiers high!
Aside from displaying dolls, symbolic foods are both eaten and offered to the dolls. The foods associated with Girl's Day are hishi mochi, which have a symbolic color and shape, clam soup, hina arare, chirashi sushi, and shirozake! These foods use ingredients that are in-season, so full of life. Nowadays, you'll also find a variety of sweets and desserts with a Girl's Day theme.
Now that you have read my spiel on the history and tradition of Girl's Day, please read my entry on my daughter's second Girl's Day here!
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