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| The Hina Matsuri or Doll Festival
is a seasonal event held every year on March 3. Also known as “Girls’ Day”,
it is a time when people pray for the health and happiness of the young girls
in their families. As part of the festival, families set out displays of dolls
dressed in imperial court costumes of the Heian Period (794-1185). The scale
of these displays varies greatly—some are extremely elaborate, featuring
multiple tiers and more than a dozen dolls, while others are relatively simple,
consisting of just two dolls, which are sometimes placed in front of miniature
folding screens. Children are generally not permitted to play with the |
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| ©MIXA CO. / LTD. / amanaimages |
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| dolls, but when the festival culminates on March 3, girls can look forward to eating
many special treats, such as diamond-shaped rice cakes and bite-size rice crackers. |
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