I was poking about on YouTube today and came across this promoted video for how to make a hinamatsuri diorama poster. They’re displayed on March 3 for the annual Girls’ Festival. (for the Boys’ Festival, decorated carp-shaped banners are made and flown).
I recall learning about both the Boys’ and Girls’ festivals from books when I was a kid. My mom has a wonderful book (from her childhood) about traditional children’s activities from around the world, and one of the stories in it was about two brothers making carp banners for the Boys’ Festival. I learned about the Girls’ Festival from a Rumer Godden book, “Little Plum,” in which three little girls who were rivals make peace with one another over a shared bond of creating a proper hinamatsuri for their Japanese porcelain dolls.
And of course, there’s always the infectiously playful MiniMoni song, “MiniMoni’s Hinamatsuri” where the girls themselves are dressed up like dolls and sing a song expounding upon the pleasures of the Girls’ Festival.
So, since today’s the day, I thought I’d post these videos here for fun and because I do love holidays & special occasions, even those which belong to cultures other than my own. It’s just kind of nice to think that on any given day, someone, somewhere, is celebrating something. It’s a pleasant thing to remember when you’re otherwise feeling a bit down, bored, or grouchy. On that note, I leave you with Brownie Locks’s calendar of holidays.
If you are very determined, you can find a reason to celebrate something for almost every day of the year. This is a great resource for planning theme parties.
This site looks even better I forgot, not being a religious and observant type, that Purim was coming up. Along with Guy Fawkes Night and Halloween, this is one of those holidays that everybody doesn’t celebrate, but if they knew about it, they might wish they could.