Hina Matsuri Doll’s Festival

Hina Matsuri (雛祭), or Girl’s Day, is a Japanese Doll Festival, which is celebrated on March 3rd in Japan. On this day, families with girls will display ornamental dolls in the hope of bringing their daughters a successful and happy life.

Platforms covered with a red carpet are used to display the set of ornamental dolls called (雛人形 hina-ningyō) which represent the Emperor, Empress and other court attendants in traditional court dress of the Heian period in Japan. The dolls are usually displayed on a five or seven tired stand with the Emperor and Empress at the top. The next step contains three court ladies (sannin-kanjo), followed by five musicians (gonin-bayashi), two ministers (udaijin and sadaijin), and three servants ending the bottom row in a five-tiered display.


Families will generally start to display the dolls in February, usually in their living rooms and take them down immediately after the festival on March 3rd.

This picture is of the Hina Ningyo at my home in Japan.