Hina Matsuri is a Japanese festival that falls every year on March 3. It began in ancient times as a Shinto effigy ceremony to prepare farmers for the planting of spring crops: They would rub their negative energy off onto a doll, then float it down the river.
Today girl's set up displays of dolls, have a tea party, and - yes - some people still send dolls down the river.
1. Make hina dolls and paper boats
2. The hina-okuri ceremony
2. The hina-okuri ceremony
3. Prepare garden beds for planting
4. Make hishi mochi and have a tea party
In the days leading up to Hina Matsuri, children display a collection of dolls, including the emperor and empress dolls, with many attendants. These hina dolls are often very elaborate, but children also make simple dolls, using origami paper for beautiful kimonos.
Hina dolls are effigies, like the Maslenitsa doll - People in many cultures make effigy dolls in the spring to symbolically absorbs all bad luck and negative energy.
This year I'll make simpler dolls on strips of paper.
We also used to make these beautiful paper boats to carry our dolls away, following the instructions at the Adventures of Captain Crafty site (which is now defunct).
Supplies: Large square of freezer paper, permanent markers, a wooden skewer
1- Cut a large square of freezer paper. Decorate the waxed side with permanent pens.
2- Fold as the diagram shows, with waxed side up.
3- Later we poked a skewer through the boats to hold the dolls in place.
2. The Hina-okuri ceremony:
Late in the afternoon some Japanese families perform the purification custom called hina-okuri: By stroking or breathing on the dolls they symbolically inject them with their own wrongdoings or ills, then they pile their dolls in a small wooden boat, and float them down the river! The river ritually bathes the dolls, and purifies the souls of the doll's owners.
As with any form of Shinto worship we begin with ritual washing, pouring water over our hands.
The second step is an offering to the kami. In this case, we are offering a paper doll. We each write down what we want to release on the paper inside our hina dolls.
Next we offer a silent prayer to the kami, of thanksgiving and petition for the future.
Finally, we send the dolls away: We take them to the creek and throw them into the current!
3. Prepare garden beds for planting:
In between the showers today, I hope to gently lift the soil in my onion and spinach bed with my garden fork, to aerate and loosen the soil without destroying microorganisms. Next, I'll add organic matter - leaf mold and duck poop.
Hina dolls are effigies, like the Maslenitsa doll - People in many cultures make effigy dolls in the spring to symbolically absorbs all bad luck and negative energy.
I used to make hina dolls with my art class students each year. We usually made two dolls each - one to keep and one to float down river. The instructions are here.
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| Decorating the boat |
Supplies: Large square of freezer paper, permanent markers, a wooden skewer
1- Cut a large square of freezer paper. Decorate the waxed side with permanent pens.
2- Fold as the diagram shows, with waxed side up.
2. The Hina-okuri ceremony:
Late in the afternoon some Japanese families perform the purification custom called hina-okuri: By stroking or breathing on the dolls they symbolically inject them with their own wrongdoings or ills, then they pile their dolls in a small wooden boat, and float them down the river! The river ritually bathes the dolls, and purifies the souls of the doll's owners.
As with any form of Shinto worship we begin with ritual washing, pouring water over our hands.The second step is an offering to the kami. In this case, we are offering a paper doll. We each write down what we want to release on the paper inside our hina dolls.
Next we each take the doll in our hands, close our eyes, concentrate on those issues we are releasing, breathe on the doll, and wish that energy onto it.
Next we offer a silent prayer to the kami, of thanksgiving and petition for the future.Finally, we send the dolls away: We take them to the creek and throw them into the current!
Today I will seek to become aware of a connection to the nature spirits - the kami - or that of God in all of nature, and offer my prayers of hope. My hina doll says , "I invite the birds in my neighborhood to speak to me".
Remember - the root purpose of Hina Matsuri is to prepare ourselves for spring planting. Usually in my valley March 3rd is not too early to prepare a bed to plant early greens and onions.
4. Make Hishi Mochi and have a tea party:
In Japan, children often share a tea party with friends on Hina Matsuri, with sweet sticky hishi mochi (HEE-she MO-chee), with pink, white, and green layers. White is for purification, green stands for health, and pink will chase away evil spirits. The recipe is here.
Make a ceremonial pot of tea to celebrate your new life. Set a nice table, with a flower; put on some Japanese music; choose a beautiful bowl to drink from; make and drink the tea with attention to every scent and taste.
In Japan, children often share a tea party with friends on Hina Matsuri, with sweet sticky hishi mochi (HEE-she MO-chee), with pink, white, and green layers. White is for purification, green stands for health, and pink will chase away evil spirits. The recipe is here.Make a ceremonial pot of tea to celebrate your new life. Set a nice table, with a flower; put on some Japanese music; choose a beautiful bowl to drink from; make and drink the tea with attention to every scent and taste.
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