Wednesday, March 3, 2010

.hina-matsuri 2010.

Today was Kaiya's 1st Girl's Day!!  Here's Kaiya making some silly faces in her little Girl's Day vest.


Every March 3rd, Japanese and Okinawan families celebrate Hina Matsuri, or Girl's Day.  On Girl's Day, families pray for the happiness and prosperity of their girls and to help ensure that they grow up healthy and beautiful.  The celebration of Hina Matsuri is meant to ward off evil spirits from girls.

Daddy and Kaiya

Mommy and Kaiya

A girls' first "Girl's Day" is called her hatzu-zekku.  On a girl's hatzu-zekku, it is very popular for the girl's grandparents to buy her a traditional Hina Matsuri display.  Traditionally, the display can have up to seven tiers with dolls and small furniture...however, in little miss Kaiya's case...she gets one very special doll.  Grandma Barbara went up to Honolulu over the weekend on business, and stopped at Shirokiya to buy Kaiya her very own doll.  It was too big to take on the airplane, so they had to ship it over and it has yet to arrive...but we'll be sure to post pictures as soon as she gets it.  Most families take out their doll display around mid-February and put it away immediately after Hina Matsuri is over.  The superstition is that families slow to put away the dolls will have trouble marrying off their daughters.  However...we're planning to display Kaiya's doll year-round cause it's too beautiful to store in a closet.

Grandma Barbara and Kaiya

Papa Harry, Grandma Barbara and Kaiya

Another tradition is for the families to get the girl's little gifts to celebrate.  Here's Kaiya trying to get an up close and personal look at the girl Grandma Barbara and Papa Harry got for her.


And here's Kaiya sitting up by herself like a big girl!

Don't forget to check back later to see what Kaiya's doll from Grandma Barbara and Papa Harry looks like!

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