K-12 Outreach for Japanese Culture: 3月 / March

This guide is designed for K to 12 instructors who teach Japanese culture and traditions.

雛祭り / Hina Maturi (Girl's Day)

3月3日は雛祭り。昔は「上巳(じょうし)の節句」「弥生の節句」などと呼ばれる五節句の一つで、女児がいる家庭で雛人形を飾って祝う行事である。雛人形は、一般的に母方の祖父母にから孫娘へ贈られることが多い。

雛人形の由来は平安時代にさかのぼる。昔は人形を飾るのではなく、「上巳の祓い」といってお祓いをし、自分の身に災難が降りかからないように、人型の紙に自分の名前と生年月日を書き川に流していた。時を経て、紙が雛人形となり飾られるようになったが、今でも下鴨神社では「流しびな」として上巳の祓いを再現し、節句を祝っている。雛人形に供えるものは、「桃の花」「お白酒」「菱餅」「草餅」「はまぐり」などがあり、地方によって変わってくる。

雛祭りの色は、桃または赤、青または緑、白が一般的。この色にも意味があり、桃・赤は「魔除け」、青・緑は「厄除け・健康」、そして白には「子孫繁栄・長寿」の意味がある。重ねる順によって、色が表す風情もかわる。下から緑白赤で「雪の下には新芽が芽吹き、桃の花が咲いている」ことを表し、下から白緑赤で「雪の中から新芽が芽吹き桃の花が咲いてる」となる。

雛人形はいつまでも飾っておいていいわけでもない。大体3月の半ばには片付けたほうがよい。理由は「仕舞い遅れると嫁に行き遅くれる」と言われていていて、片付けのできない嫁はいいお嫁さんになれませんという意味が込められている。
 

March 3rd of every year is hina matsuri, and it is one of five sekku or traditional Japanese holidays. The holiday can also be called Jōshi no Sekku or Yayoi no Sekku. It is known as Girl's Day, family members wish for good health and luck of the girl(s). Typically, it is the wife's family's duty to send the hina ningyō or hina dolls to the girls.

The tradition of displaying hina ningō originated from the Heian period (794 -1185). People would write their name and their birthday on a piece of paper and throw the paper into a river to wish for good health. It was believed that the paper would take all of the bad energy away, and this ritual is called Jōshi no harai. As time goes by, this ritual with the paper faded, and instead, people started to display dolls at home. However there is a temple call Shimogamo Jinja that still practices this paper tradition and call it nagashi bina. Traditionally, momo no hana (peach flowers), shirozake (white sake alcohol), hishimochi (three layered sticky rice cakes), kusamochi (green sticky rice cakes), hamaguri (clams) are displayed along with the hina dolls, but it also varies depending on area of Japan.

There are certain colors that are used during this holiday. These traditional colors include: red/pink, blue/green, and white. Red/pink symbolizes warding off the bad spirits, blue/green symbolizes good health and the protection against the bad spirits, and white symbolizes long life and perpetuation. The order of these three colors also changes the meaning. If the colors are layered from the bottom, green, white, and red, it is pictured as a scene, “underneath the white snow, there is little greens sprout, and the peach blossoms are blooming above.” In another order, the layers from the bottom is white, green, and then red. This order of the colors are pictured to be “green buds sprouting and showing their tiny heads out from snow, and the peach blossom are blooming above.” Both orders symbolizes the coming of life during the spring. 

There is a certain period during the month to display the hina dolls. People usually put the dolls away by the middle of March, to better enable the girl's chances to get married. Leaving dolls out for a long time implies that the girl cannot clean or organize, implying that the girl is not suited for marriage. 


雛人形 / Display of hina dolls


日本一高い雛人形 31段 高さ7m埼玉県鴻巣市) / 
Tallest hina dolls on display with 31 rows and 7m (23ft) high (Kōnosu city, Saitama prefecture)

彼岸 / Higan (Spring Equinox)

彼岸は日本独特の暦注で、春分・秋分の日を挟んで前後3日づつの一週間を彼岸という。日本独特の習わしで、この時期に祖先の墓参りを行うことが多い。また寺院では、彼岸会(ひがんえ)を催して読経や法話を行う。

Higan is a seven-day period held twice a year, revolving around the time of the Spring and Fall Equinox. This astronomical event is unique to Japan and is celebrated three days before and after the Spring and Fall Equinox for a week. During this Higan period, many people visit their family grave, and temples usually perform of chants or sermon services called higan-e.

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雛祭りと和菓子 / Hina Maturi to Wagashi (Girl's Day and Sweets)

月の有名な行事として「雛祭り(ひなまつり)」があげられる。「草餅」を食べ、雛人形に「菱餅」を供える風習が根付いている。現在は草餅・菱餅だけに限らず、 各地で違う「雛菓子」、「雛あられ」や「有平細工(あるへいざいく)」で果物・蝶・貝・つくしなどの女の子の好みのような色・形の菓子が作られている。関西の方では「あこや」と呼ばれる和菓子が行事と深く関係して知られている。

Hina-matsuri is the major traditional event during the month of March. There is a long tradition of eating kusa-mochi, rice-flour cake flavored with Japanese mugwort herbs and sweet bean paste inside, and serving the hina dolls with hishi-mochi, three-layered mochi in the shape of a rhomboid. Today, many communities make their own sweets such as hinagashi, hina-arare (sweet rice crackers), aruhei-zaiku for the event. These sweets are targeted towards young girls by creating the sweets inspired by fruits, butterflies, shells, and tsukushis or horsetail weeds which symbolizes spring. In the Kansai area, it is more popular to eat the sweet, akoya.


草餅 / Kusa-mochi


菱餅 / Hishi-mochi (solid mochi)


雛菓子 / Examples of Hinagashi
(In the bottom example, some are made from rice powder and some are candy)


雛あられ / Hina-arare

ひな祭りの歌 / Hina Matsuri no Uta (Hina Maturi's song)

明かりをつけましょ ぼんぼりに (Akari wo tsukemasho Bonbori ni)

お花をあげましょ 桃の花 (Ohana wo agemasyo Momo no hana)

五人囃子の笛太鼓 (Gonin-bayashi no fue taiko)

今日は楽しいひな祭り(Kyo wa tanoshii hina matsuri)

 

お内裏様とお雛様 (Odairi sama to Ohina sama)

二人並んで澄まし顔 (Futari narande sumashi-gao)

お嫁にいらした 姉様に (Oyome ni irashita Nee sama ni)

よく似た官女の 白い顔 (Yoku nita kanjo no Shiroi kao)

 

金の屏風に 映る灯を (Kin no byoubu ni Utsuru hi wo)

かすかに揺する 春の風 (Kasuka ni usuru Haru no kaze)

少し白酒 召されたか (Sukoshi shirozake Mesaretaka)

赤いお顔の 右大臣 (Akai okao no Udaijin)

 

着物を着替えて 帯しめて (Kimono wo kigaete Obi shimete)

今日は私も 晴れ姿 (Kyo wa watashimo Haresugata)

春のやよいの この良き日 (Haru no yayoi no Kono yoki-hi)

何より嬉しい ひな祭り (Nani yori ureshii Hina matsuri)

 

Let's light the bonbori (lamp covered in paper)

Let's give flowers, peach flowers

Five musicians with flute and taiko (drums)

Today is the fun Hina Matsuri

 

The Emperor and the Empress

The two lined up with straight faces

Sister-in-law who came as a bride,

Looked similar to the court lady's white face

 

On the gold byobu (folding screen), the light

Gently flickers in the spring breeze

The little white sake (alcohol) make

The red face on the Minister of the Right

 

Change kimono, tie the obi

Today, I will also dress in my finest

For this special spring day,

Makes me happy, Hina Matsuri