Hina Matsuri - "Girls Day"

Hina Matsuri is also known as Girl's Day, or the Doll Festival. On the 3rd day of March, families celebrate their pride in their daughters by displaying dolls of the Emperor and Empress in a prominent place in the home. These dolls are not played with. They are usually gifts from the grandparents or inherited from the girl's mother, and are quite delicate and expensive! They are unwrapped with ceremony, admired for a few weeks, and then put back into their boxes. One popular superstition says that if the dolls aren't returned to their boxes soon after the 3rd, the daughters will not get married.

 

Girls often dress in kimono for the occasion, make hina dolls out of paper, drink special sweet sake made without alcohol, and eat special food sweets such as "Nama-gashi" made from sticky rice and sweet beans.

Since we are in Michigan right now, we can't exactly celebrate Girl's Day the proper way. But not to worry, Elodie still got plenty of presents. I went to my first Mom-2-Mom sale at an elementary school with my good friend Kitty.

I got loads of goodies - board books, Noah's Ark play book with animals set, the dog you can see in the photo that sings all sorts of songs (Elodie LOVES him), a snowsuit for next year, 4 pairs of shoes, and tons of clothes. I walked out of the school carrying 3 grocery bags full of stuff, and only spent $22. What a deal!

Another reason I'm looking forward to moving back to the U.S. - SALES! Cheaper prices, more variety, better toys, and cuter baby/toddler clothes. :)