Hinamatsuri

is one of the that are held on auspicious dates of the Lunisolar calendar: the first day of the first month, the third day of the third month, and so on. After the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, these were fixed on 1January, 3March, 5May, 7July, and 9September. The festival was traditionally known as the , as peach trees typically began to flower around this time. Although this is no longer true since the shift to Gregorian dates, the name remains and peaches are still symbolic of the festival. The primary aspect of is the display of seated female and male dolls (the and ), which represent a Heian period wedding, The dolls are usually seated on red cloth, and may be as simple as pictures or folded paper dolls, or as intricate as carved three-dimensional dolls. More elaborate displays will include a multi-tiered of dolls that represent ladies of the court, musicians, and other attendants, with all sorts of accoutrements. The entire set of dolls and accessories is called the . Traditionally, the dolls were supposed to be put away by the day after , the superstition being that leaving the dolls any longer will result in a late marriage for the daughter, but some families may leave them up for the entire month of March. , traditional decoration for , are lengths of coloured cords (usually in red), usually featuring decorations of miniature baby-dolls, which were originally made from leftover kimono silk (so the idea of repurposing fabric scraps is central to this craft; it is a great activity for using up leftover materials). are not limited to featuring miniature baby-dolls, but also flowers (i.e., camellia flower, etc.), shells, balls, colourful triangles to represent mountains (such as Mount Fuji, etc.), etc., and with tassels at the bottom. == Origin ==

attending the festival with her daughters, c. 1940 It is said that the first time dolls were shown in the manner they are now as part of the Peach Festival was when the young princess Meisho succeeded to the throne of her abdicating father, Emperor Go-Mizunoo, in 1629. Because empresses regnant in Japan at the time were not allowed to get married, Meisho's mother, Tokugawa Masako, created a doll arrangement showing Meisho blissfully wedded. then officially became the name of the festival in 1687. Doll-makers began making elaborate dolls for the festival (some growing as tall as high before laws were passed restricting their size). Over time, the evolved to include fifteen dolls and accessories. As dolls became more expensive, tiers were added to the so that the expensive ones could be placed out of the reach of young children. During the Meiji period as Japan began to modernize and the emperor was restored to power, was deprecated in favor of new holidays that focused on the emperor's supposed bond with the nation. By focusing on marriage and families, it represented Japanese hopes and values. The dolls were said to represent the emperor and empress; they also fostered respect for the throne. The holiday then spread to other countries via the Japanese diaspora, although it remains confined to Japanese immigrant communities and descendants. ==Placement of dolls==

The actual placement order of the dolls from left to right varies according to family tradition and location, but the order of dolls per level is the same. The layer of covering is called or simply , a red carpet with rainbow stripes at the bottom. The description that follows is for a complete set. File:Me-bina-ETHAS 020104-P8190705-gradient.jpg|18th-century , Empress doll, on display at Musée d'ethnographie de Genève File:O-bina-ETHAS 020105-P8190707-gradient.jpg|18th century , Emperor doll, on display at Musée d'ethnographie de Genève File:Hinamatsuri store display.jpg| store display in Seattle, Washington, featuring all 7 tiers. File:HinaDolls-Emperor-Empress-topplatform2011.jpg|An Emperor doll with an Empress doll, in front of a gold screen. The optional lampstands are also partially visible. File:Hinamatsuridolls2010.ogv|(video) A five platform doll set. File:Kanzo-Yashiki_Tsurushibina.A.JPG| is a variation of the traditional dolls (Kanzo-Yashiki, Kōshū, Yamanashi Prefecture). First, top platform The top tier holds two dolls, known as . The word means "imperial palace". These are the holding a and holding a fan. The pair are also known as and (lord and princess) or and (honored palace official and honored doll). Although they are sometimes referred to as the Emperor and Empress, they only represent the positions and not particular individuals themselves (with the exception of some dolls from the Meiji Era that actually depict Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken). The two are usually placed in front of a gold folding screen and placed beside green Japanese garden trees. and the paper or silk lanterns that are known as , which are usually decorated with cherry or plum blossom patterns. Complete sets would include accessories placed between the two figures, known as , composing of two vases of artificial . Generally speaking, the Kansai style arrangement has the male on the right, while Kantō style arrangements have him on the left (from the viewer's perspective). • , seated, • , standing, • , standing, • , or , seated, • , holding a , standing. There are ancient sets with seven or ten musicians and at least one with female musicians. Fourth platform Two may be displayed on the fourth tier. These may be the emperor's bodyguards or administrators in Kyoto: the and the . Both are sometimes equipped with bows and arrows. When representing the ministers, the Minister of the Right is depicted as a young person, while the Minister of the Left is older because that position was the more senior of the two. Also, because the dolls are placed in positions relative to each other, the Minister of the Right will be on "stage right" (the viewer's left) and the Minister of the Left will be on the other side. Between the two figures are covered , also referred to as , as well as bearing diamond-shaped hishi mochi. Just below the ministers: on the rightmost, a , and on the leftmost, a . Fifth platform The fifth tier, between the plants, holds three or of the Emperor and Empress: In the Kyōto style, from the viewer's left to right the dolls are: • Crying drinker bearing a , • Angry drinker bearing a , and • Laughing drinker bearing a In the Kantō style used in the rest of Japan, from the viewer's left to right the dolls are: • Angry drinker bearing an at the end of a pole, • Crying drinker bearing a , and • Laughing drinker bearing an Other platforms On the sixth and seventh tiers, various miniature furniture, tools, carriages, etc., are displayed. Sixth platform These are items used within the palatial residence. • : chest of (usually five) drawers, sometimes with swinging outer covering doors. • : long chest for kimono storage. • : smaller clothing storage box, placed on top of nagamochi. • : literally mirror stand, a smaller chest of drawers with a mirror on top. • : sewing kit box. • two : braziers. • : a set of or , utensils for the tea ceremony. Seventh, bottom platform These are items used when away from the palatial residence. • , a set of nested lacquered food boxes with either a cord tied vertically around the boxes or a stiff handle that locks them together. • ( or , a palanquin. • , an ox-drawn carriage favored by Heian nobility. This last is sometimes known as or (). • Less common, , an ox drawing a cart of flowers. == See also ==