Hina Matsuri (doll festival)

In addition to the 5th of May every year, which is a boy's holiday, Japan also has a holiday for girls on March 3 every year. This festival is also known as the doll festival. The Hina Matsuri festival has a history dating back over 1000 years. It is believed that the little dolls are like the world dolls. After the dolls are played by girls, they are released into the river to carry away bad luck or evil spirits from the girls. However, today, to protect the environment, the dolls are made of paper, placed in boats braided with leaves or straw and then carried by girls and released into the river. When you come to Japan during this time you will find many places selling small dolls. Traditionally, these dolls will be arranged in the order of 7 floors: the top floor is also the king and queen dolls, the lower floor is the maidservant doll, the 3rd floor is the band doll, and the third floor is the dolls. The 4th floor is for 2 ministerial dolls, the 5th floor is for 3 guardian dolls for the king and queen, and the 6th and 7th floors will be used for decoration. Nowadays, the festival is an occasion where Japanese girls have their own parties. Girls can invite friends over to their house to enjoy food and sweets. If you go to Kyoto you can go to the Shimogamo-jinja shrine grounds to watch the release of the dolls on March 3.

Time: on March 3 every year