Hinamatsuri - Japanese girls' day
In Japan, ‘Hinamatsuri’ - the girls' day - is traditionally celebrated on 3 March. Mizuki Temma, MinTU mentor from the Faculty of Computer Science, tells us what this day is all about and how it is celebrated in her family.
My name is Mizuki Temma. I come from Japan and study computer science at TU Dortmund University.
I grew up and went to school in a small town in northern Japan. During my first degree at a Japanese university, I studied in Germany for a while. I have been living in Germany since 2017 and am enrolled as a regular student in Dortmund.
Hinamatsuri (girls' day) is celebrated every year in Japan in families that have daughters. The family celebrate their daughter and granddaughter ‘surviving another year’ or turning a year older. The girls are happy because their family are celebrating them. Special preparations are made for the celebration: so-called Hinamatsuri dolls are displayed in the house, girls put on a kimono and - probably the most important thing for the children - sushi is served and various special dishes are prepared.
Hinamatsuri is originally for ‘little girls’, but today we celebrate the festival when we have a female family member. This could be a daughter or a female pet.
For boys, there is the boys' festival on May 5th in Japan. We celebrate in a similar way: a display of samurai dolls (Hinamatsuri dolls, on the other hand, represent the lifestyle of the aristocracy) and delicious food.
When I was little, my mum always prepared sushi, sushi rolls, grilled chicken, traditional Japanese sweets and many other delicacies for Hinamatsuri. I enjoyed these dishes with my family for dinner. I didn't wear a Kinomo. Every year, my family took photos of me and my Hinamatsuri dolls. Hinamatsuri dolls are made in a traditional way and are very expensive. Grandparents often give these dolls as gifts when the first daughter in the family is born.
In addition, the children are given mochi (small sweet rice cakes) as part of their school lunch. The children organise a Hinamatsuri party with friends: A girl invites her friends to her house and they have the ‘first’ party together before having a family party in the evening. When I was still at school, I used to invite friends and sometimes was invited too.
Hinamatsuri is celebrated in my family every year as I am still a daughter and granddaughter at the age of 23. Now I no longer celebrate with my family at home, but it is a day for my family to remember me and my mother and grandmother celebrate me as a ‘surviving girl’.
