Thoughts

Girl's Celebration

%E3%81%8A%E9%9B%9B%E6%A7%98_resize.jpgIn Japan,March 3rd is a day to celebrate girls and to pray for their prosperity and good health. It is tradition for the grandparents to buy their granddaughter a set of dolls. The main two dolls apparently represent the Emperor and Empress at the top in hope that the girl grows up as elegantly as the Empress (I've just looked this up on the internet! Didn't know that!) You can also have additional dolls such as the court ladies and ministers and court musicians and also furniture such as tables and chests and rickshaws! The dolls are only put on display for about a month up to this day (March 3rd) and then are put back into their boxes until the next year. There's a superstition that says that if you don't put your dolls away immediately after the 3rd you'll end up a spinster!

I also was given a set by my grand parents. I never used to appreciate these things when I was younger but as I grow older I think I'm capable of being more sensitive to traditional beauty and things that are more subtle.

I love the dolls that I have and am really grateful to have been given them. It's interesting how the times reflect the look of these dolls. Many of my pupils are still quite young and when I visit their houses and see the dolls that they put out at this time I'm amazed at the differences. First of all,the modern dolls are much slimmer(!) both in the face and the body and also the facial expressions are much more modern - meaning much more defined. Mine are much more chubby but have a softness to their expression which I really like. Although I think I'm very westernized in my thinking,I'm happy that I am starting to be able to appreciate my Japanese heritage.