We’ve read about seasonal festivals, from ones to ward off evil spirits to others which encourage good behaviour. But we have barely scratched the surface of the array of events celebrated in Japan.
For this next month, we will be looking at stages of life and how they are observed in Japan. And where better to start than with childhood and the festivals which celebrate this period of life?
Childhood in Japan introduces the youngest in the country to how the world around them operates, how the people around them interact within society, and what will be expected of them as they grow. In a culture like Japan, with so many rules and nuances to understand, there is a lot to learn.
From an early age, Japanese children are often given responsibilities meant to encourage them to learn how to make their way in society and become more independent. One commonly cited example of this is the high proportion of children, as young as six years old, who walk or take public transport to school with no adult supervision.
Though Japan is not without its problems when it comes to children’s well-being, Japan is regarded as one of the safest places to live, with the Global Peace index ranking it as the ninth safest country in the world in 2019.
Children and their well-being are important in Japanese culture. So much so, Japan even has days each year when parents and the community offer well-wishes to daughters and sons, Hinamatsuri (Girl’s Day) and Kodomo no Hi (Children’s Day).
Hinamatsuri
Girl’s Day is one of the five seasonal festivals which take place in Japan throughout the year. It is celebrated on the 3rd of March. It is also known by other names, such as Doll’s Day, because of the traditional dolls displayed on the day in public spaces and houses where young girls live; or Momo no Sekku (Peach festival), after its signature flower.
The custom of arranging dolls dates all the way back to the Edo period (1600-1868), though the making of hitogata, simple paper dolls, dates back to the Heian period (794-1192). These were common toys for aristocratic children and during the festival would serve as a symbol of purification and used to ward off evil spirits. A thousand years ago, it was traditional for these dolls to be thrown into a river, to do away with any lingering misfortune.
Although the practice still exists in some regions, paper dolls have largely been replaced with ceramic dolls which are used to decorate people’s houses on the day of the festival. Nowadays, Hinamatsuri serves to give thanks for the health and growth of young girls.
It is common now to see beautifully crafted dolls representing the emperor and empress displayed in a family’s living room, shop windows, and even hotel receptions. Sometimes these decorations become quite intricate, with whole courts being displayed, and you may see a veritable invasion of traditionally dressed dolls adorning the house.
Even shops will change their decorations and products to suit the colour schemes of the day, with colourful doll displays in vibrant reds and commonly sold foods and snacks in pastel colours.
It is also traditional to eat hina-arare, colourful rice cakes; hishi-mochi, three layered diamond-shaped rice-based sweets; and chirashi sushi, thinly sliced strips of raw fish on a bed of rice.
Kodomo no Hi
Children’s Day, or Boy’s Day, is another of the many festivals derived from Chinese culture, but shaped over the centuries into something uniquely Japanese. Dating back to the 8th century, Japan celebrates Children’s Day on the 5th of May, but it only became a designated national holiday in 1948.
Also known as Tango no Sekku (“tan” for beginning, and “go” for five) or Shoubu no Sekku, Children’s Day comes at the end of Golden Week, one of the biggest holidays in Japan. As another of the seasonal festivals in Japan, like Hinamatsuri, it also has its own representative flower, the iris. On the day of the festival, many households place one of these flowers by their home entrance or on the roof to ward off evil.
Though it’s called Children’s Day, as the 3rd of March serves to celebrate young girls, the 5th of May most often serves to wish for the health and strength of young boys. Up until the seventeenth century, these wishes stemmed from the high mortality rates in young children, but nowadays it is more of a family celebration.
Yet many of the old traditions persist to this day. Of these, the most recognisable are the koinobori carp streamers next to the front doors, and the kabuto samurai helmets which decorate young families’ houses and public spaces.
But what is a festival without food? Alongside the decorations, in shops and households, it is common to see foods like kashiwa mochi, soft rice cakes with red bean filling, often wrapped in an oak leaf; or chimaki, a sweet sticky rice dessert wrapped in bamboo leaf.
From the past to the future
Both festivals, Hinamatsuri and Kodomo no Hi, have celebrated the youngest children for centuries, with dolls to wish young girls’ future prosperity, and carp flags to hope for young boys’ health.
Japan still has a long way to go when it comes to children’s well-being, in particular, in regards to mental health. As a culture which often discourages individuality, many children feel under too much pressure to conform, evidenced most clearly in the high levels of school dropouts.
Festivals won’t fix the underlying issues, but by making children feel heard, and by recognising these issues exist, Japan can take the first step towards a better future for their youngest. By building on aspects Japan is succeeding at, such as children’s safety on the streets and fostering a sense of community for the youngest in society, change can slowly take place.
Hinamatsuri and Kodomo no Hi are a bridge between the past and the future. The traditions, the dolls, and the flags, conjure thoughts of the eras when these customs began, and why. But by focusing on the children the festival celebrates, Japan looks to the future, and wishes them strength and prosperity as they grow into their own.