Hina Matsuri

March 3rd is the Girls' Day in Japan. Parents buy hina dolls for their girl(s) and put them (dolls not girls) out of the closet every year for hina matsuri (hina festival)...I guess to wish their girls' happiness. It is also said that if you don't put them back in the closet at once when the day is over, the girl might never be able to get married. I don't know why. But it kind of sounds like a curse rather than blessing.

These are my dolls, which I have had since when I don't even remember. I think my grandma bought them for me, and she still keeps them at her house. My grandma's house is like a big closet itself, everything that cannot fit into anywhere in my parents' apartment is stored there. She put them (dolls not the things that cannot fit in my parents' apartment) out in the living room every year, and I would try to come see them before the third of March. I often didn't get to, and the dolls often remained there for a while even after the day was over. The curse is probably upon me already so I better give up the hope of getting married.

And yet, it's pretty nice to just own the dolls. They are beautiful, so elaborately made, and every time I look at them closely I'm amazed by the details.

Happy Hina Matsuri!