Girls' Day!

Here's wishing a happy Girls' Day to all of my readers. The Girls' Day festival has its roots in the Hinamatsuri, the Japanese Doll Festival. Originally, small straw dolls which were supposed to contain bad spirits and the sins of the community were placed on tiny boats and set to drift away, carrying off all that badness. Now, the dolls have become more elaborate, and are arranged in a tiered display which portrays the Imperial court. The modern Hinamatsuri is a day to pray for growth and happiness for girls.

I found a great video by way of Singapore blogger Simon Ooh. Here are a couple of city girls (they rather self-effacingly describe themselves a "silly", but they are very charming) checking out a huge Hinamatsuri festival in a small town in Chiba Prefecture:





Happy Girls' Day to all of my female readers, and a special shout out to my brilliant and gorgeous nieces.