Hinamatsuri..

Hinamatsuri, or Girl's Day, is a very popular traditional holiday here in Japan. All over the country public buildings and traditional households dust off their small dolls and arrange them into a shrine at the entrance to the building or home for all to see.

Here is what Wikipedia says about the holiday:

"The custom of displaying dolls began during the Heian period. Formerly, people believed the dolls possessed the power to contain bad spirits. Hinamatsuri traces its origins to an ancient Japanese custom called hina-nagashi (雛流し^?, lit. "doll floating"), in which straw hina dolls are set afloat on a boat and sent down a river to the sea, supposedly taking troubles or bad spirits with them. The Shimogamo Shrine (part of the Kamo Shrine complex in Kyoto) celebrates the Nagashibina by floating these dolls between the Takano and Kamo Rivers to pray for the safety of children. People have stopped doing this now because of fishermen catching the dolls in their nets. They now send them out to sea, and when the spectators are gone they take the boats out of the water and bring them back to the temple and burn them.

The customary drink for the festival is shirozake, a sake made from fermented rice. A colored hina-arare, bite-sized crackers flavored with sugar or soy sauce depending on the region, and hishimochi, a diamond-shaped colored rice cake, are served. Chirashizushi (sushi rice flavored with sugar, vinegar, topped with raw fish and a variety of ingredients) is often eaten. A salt-based soup called ushiojiru containing clams still in the shell is also served. Clam shells in food are deemed the symbol of a united and peaceful couple, because a pair of clam shells fits perfectly, and no pair but the original pair can do so.

Families generally start to display the dolls in February and take them down immediately after the festival. Superstition says that leaving the dolls past March 4 will result in a late marriage for the daughter."

In recognition of the holiday, my friend Michi invited me to make Hinamatsuri sushi (seen in the book above) with some other friends. We had a wonderful time. Sol had a blast making music with his spoons and metal bowls...

...and I even got the opportunity to visit with my dear friend Nozomu who was our translator during the birth last year. Because of her selfless help last year, she will always have a place in my heart. It was great to spend the afternoon with her...

This was our Hinamatsuri sushi. I think it turned out quite well!!

Nozomu, Miho, Michi, and little Sophia.

Japanese people put such care and precision into their food. Michi is particularly gifted at preparing and presenting food. She always seems to make art. For lunch, she had planned a traditional Girl's Day assortment.

This was sushi rice, rolled fish paste and shrimp...

Sashimi on rice...

Rice drink, green tea, picked octopus, and clam soup...

For dessert, Michi prepared these beautiful sakura rolls. These are made with ground cherry blossoms (to give the pink color and aroma), and wrapped in pickled cherry tree leaves...

And Miho made this incredible strawberry and blueberry tart. Gorgeous and delightful!!

Happy Girls Day!!