By telling me
about Japanese culture when I was growing up, my mom set me on the path to
where I am now. Learning about Japanese culture made me want to study the
language, studying the language made me want to move to the country, and now
here I am.
For as long
as I can remember, I have known that my birthday is a holiday in Japan. “Girl’s
day,” my mom called it; it is usually translated as the “doll’s festival.” In
Japanese, it is known as hinamatsuri
(hee-nah-ma-tsoo-ree).
Like many
Japanese traditions, hinamatsuri has
its origins in Chinese culture. It is said that people would throw paper dolls
into the river to wash away flaws and bad fortune. The tradition made its way
to Japan, and gradually the dolls grew more detailed and permanent. Today, the
dolls, called hina ningyo (“hina
dolls”) wear the style of the Heian period, between 794 and 1185 CE. They sit
on what looks like a red staircase. At the top rests the king and queen.
Beneath it are various princes, princesses, and retainers, along with food,
decorations, and chests of their belongings.
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| The most traditional of the displays in Aya |
The symbolism
behind the dolls is that they will bring good marriages for the girl(s) in a
household. There is a belief that if the dolls are left out too long after the
holiday, the daughter(s) will marry late. I heard that tradition stems from the original floating of dolls down
a stream: the dolls fill with the bad luck, the stuff you want to get rid of,
and so you shouldn’t keep it around you after the fact.
Part of the
reason I’m interested in hinamatsuri
is because of my interest in the gender dynamics of Japan, which sometimes feel
more rigid than what I am used to in America. For instance, middle school girls
have to wear skirts as part of their uniforms, and often the seating charts are
planned based on gender. In other ways, the gender dynamics can be freeing;
women often control the finances of the house, for instance, and being a
stay-at-home mom is treated as an occupation in a way that respects the
domestic labor, which we don’t quite see in America. However, coming from a
Western perspective, it’s much easier to see the more rigid aspects of gender
than the freeing ones.
*
I drove down
to Aya yesterday with my friend Jesse because Aya has a festival with a unique
twist on Hinamatsuri. A small town in
the southern half of Miyazaki, Aya is known for its connections to nature. It
has a large forest, which you can gaze at from one of the world’s largest
suspension bridges. It is also home to a lot of organic farming and positive
ecological practices.
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| Aya is also home to some very cute cafes. |
Aya’s twist
on hinamatsuri is that it displays
the dolls amidst beautiful flowers and greenery. Moss, boulders, and clippings
of peach and cherry blossoms surround the dolls. One woman told us that in
olden days, when the first child of a family was born, they were given a small mountain
to wish them good fortune in marriage. Also, according to the festival’s
website, mountain gods were believed to be female. It seems to me that Aya’s
festival is a merger of many different traditions and cultures, especially
since hinamatsuri also has its
origins in momo no sekku, the peach
blossom festival.
In the
morning, the young children of Aya were in a (very adorable) parade, along with
a woman and man dressed in what I believe was Heian period clothing. There were also some taiko drummers. After watching the parade, Jesse and I walked
around town, stamping a little paper at each of the hina mountain displays (in theory, we could each win a prize).
We also went
up to Aya Castle, which was originally built in 1331, destroyed, and then
rebuilt in the 1980’s. We met many friendly people, who were eager to welcome
us into their town. We also met some other foreigners, including some teenagers
who sounded like they were from America or Canada and some medical students
from India who go to school in Miyazaki City. I got to try throwing shuriken and was used as an assistant in
a balloon performance. We found some delicious burritos, a rare treat in Japan.
After we drove back, we met another friend, Samantha, for dinner, and then
watched some Brooklyn Nine-Nine
together. Samantha bought me a little cake and some candles, as well!
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| Jesse in front of Aya Castle |
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| A lot of fun (and not a lot of skill) throwing shuriken |
All in all, it was a really good birthday. I love exploring, and I love Japanese festivals. Aya is a beautiful place, and I look forward to going back!
