What Day is Today?: Doll's Festival

On March 3, Japanese people celebrate "Hinamatsuri (Doll's Festival or Girl's Festival)"! The day is also called "Joshi (First Snake Day)" and "Momo-no-sekku (Peach Festival)". They used to have a custom called "Nagashi-bina", in which they float paper dolls down a river to expel bad luck. The paper doll eventually developed into "Hina Ningyo". Then in the middle Edo Period, they started to display dolls on stepped platform. The current style of "Hinamatsuri" was established in the early Showa to pray for the healthy development and happiness of girls. Today's Spotlight is about "Hinamatsuri" themed illustrations. Let's cherish the Japanese traditional event with long history!