Hinamatsuri: Girls’ Day Celebration in Japan

On March 3, Japan celebrates Hinamatsuri. This holiday is dedicated to girls and their families' hopes for a bright and happy future.

As a small child, I used to think that Japan’s Girls’ Day (or Dolls’ Day)⁠—Hinamatsuri (ひな祭りor 雛祭り)⁠—was actually called ‘Princess Day,’ as the Japanese word for doll, hina (雛) sounds similar to princess, hime (姫). At that time, I was a dress-obsessed tomboy, but I still wanted to be a princess. Hence, I was really looking forward to Hinamatsuri.

A Reminiscence Of Heian Beauty

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Celebrated on March 3 every year, Hinamatsuri is one of Japan’s most beautiful unofficial holidays. It is a day on which Japanese households with young daughters decorate their homes with Heian period 雛人形 (hina ningyo; “hina dolls”) disposed on a red-cloth-covered seven-tiered platform called 雛壇 (hinadan).

The hina ningyo are placed in this order:

1. The Emperor and Empress: Seated in front of a golden folding screen with lanterns on either side.
2. Three Court Ladies: Holding utensils, to attend the imperial couple.
3. Five Male Musicians: Each plays a traditional Japanese instrument.
4. Two Ministers: An old minister and a young minister, act as protectors.
5. Three Helpers or Samurai: Representing palace attendants with different facial expressions.
6. Household and Palace Furnishings: Miniature chests, dressers and storage boxes.
7. Carriages and Other Items: An ox-drawn cart, a palanquin and additional storage chests.

These dolls are used to pray for girls’ prosperity, health and, traditionally, a stable and successful marriage.

The Origins Of Hinamatsuri

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Similarly to many Japanese traditional customs, Hinamatsuri is believed to have originated as a ritual to ward off evil spirits and to pray for a prosperous and healthy future. One of its earliest indirect mentions in literature, found in The Tale of Genji, describes the third day of the third month as a purification day when people would transfer evil spirits into dolls and release them into rivers and oceans.

Back in those days, people believed that dolls could contain evil spirits. Households with girls made hina ningyo out of straw and sailed them down the river in boats, supposedly taking all the potential misfortunes with them. This tradition is known as hina nagashi (雛流し).

The custom developed into displaying the dolls in homes on hinadan in 17th-century Japan, when Princess Okiko, the daughter of Emperor Go-Mizunoo, played with a doll display set up exclusively for her. When she assumed the throne in 1687 as Empress Meisho, she popularized the holiday as Hinamatsuri. Since then, craftsmen across Japan have been developing various hina dolls for the holiday, and the practice continues today.

How is Hinamatsuri Celebrated in Japan?

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Nowadays, most families with daughters decorate their homes with one—to seven-tiered platforms of hina dolls. The decorations start in mid-to-late February and are kept until the end of March 3. Traditionally, parents or grandparents of a newborn girl buy a set of hina ningyo decorations for the baby’s first Hinamatsuri.

Families take the decorations down immediately after Hinamatsuri as superstition claims that keeping the dolls up past March 4 will result in a late marriage for the daughters. In some areas of Japan, people still release paper dolls in water after the holiday, praying for health and good luck.

A Tasteful Celebration

In addition to decorating platforms with gorgeous dolls, Japanese people also celebrate this day by enjoying special foods and drinks.

1. Shirozake

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First of all, the customary drink for the Hinamatsuri festivities is shirozake (白酒), traditionally consumed for purification and good fortune. It consists of a sweet sake that contains enough alcohol (nine percent) to make parents cringe. Although, back in the day, it was said that everyone (including children) drank this sake, now that it is under the Liquor Tax Law, you cannot give any to children. For modern parents, the non-alcoholic amazake is a great alternative. Just watch out as some amazake have very low but not zero alcohol content, too.

2. Hina Arare

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Arare (あられ) is a rice cracker named after hailstone or snow pellets. Typically, hina arare are colorful and symbolize the four seasons (pink for spring, green for summer, yellow for autumn and white for winter). They have flavors of soy sauce or sugar, depending on the region.

3. Hishi mochi

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Another sweet delicacy is hishi mochi (菱餅), a multi-layered rice cake with colors arranged from top to bottom in red (pink), white and green. Pink symbolizes protection from evil, white represents purity and green signifies health and growth. In certain regions of Japan, yellow may replace red, or the mochi layers may number five or seven instead of three. Historically, people shaped this sweet as a rhomboid during the Edo era, believing it symbolized fertility.

4. Chirashizushi

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Chirashizushi (ちらし寿司) features savory rice seasoned with vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt. It typically includes a variety of sashimi and colorful ingredients, arranged in layers atop the rice, representing prosperity and happiness.

5. Ushiojiru

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Lastly, Ushiojiru (潮汁) is a salt-based soup containing clams as the main ingredient. The clamshells symbolize the unity and peacefulness of a harmonious marriage, as only two perfectly symmetrical twin shells can fit snugly together. Just like snowflakes, no two clamshells are alike.

Modern Hinamatsuri

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Nowadays, many people also buy beautifully decorated and very feminine cakes and other sweets to celebrate the day. For parents, it’s the perfect occasion to start a tradition of taking snapshots every year as your daughter ages. If you have a daughter, celebrate this day like a local and decorate with hina dolls at home. Come March 4, put your dolls away as soon as you can so that your precious girl(s) can grow happy and healthy!

Recently, city halls (such as Hino) or Tokyo art exhibitions have also been displaying hina dolls. If you didn’t have time to do your own set-up this year or if you are just curious, these exhibits offer a perfect occasion to get accustomed to the celebration and catch a glimpse of traditional Japan.

Happy Hinamatsuri!

This article was originally published in 2016 and has been updated with the latest information for 2025.

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