Hinamatsuri: A festival only for girls
201300510 KIM HAYOON
March 3rd 2014 was a start of the new school year for Korean students, but it was a special day for Japanese girls. Hinamatsuri is a holiday that celebrates young girls' growth and pray for good health and long life. Originally, the custom of praying for longevity came from ancient China, where people washed their hands and feet with river water to protect themselves from bad luck. With the course of time, this ancient Chinese practice was introduced to Japan, and it has changed to what we now know as the Hina Festival. Japanese households celebrate the holiday by decorating hina dolls, visiting the Shrine, and sharing holiday food with the family.
Two or three weeks before the Hinamatsuri, each family that has a daughter decorates the house with hina dolls. A hina doll is a traditional Japanese doll that was once believed to ward off misfortune. Nowadays, it only serves as a symbol of the festival. Hina dolls vary in color and size and price. They can be made out of paper, silk or even pottery. It is unique to know that each hina doll has a different posture and a different look. Hina dolls are arranged on a shelf that is covered with a red cloth. The shelf can be from one-stage to seven-stages, depending on the number of dolls the family can afford. For example, the highest stage is for the king and the queen doll, decorated in the most delicate and fancy manner.
On the festival day, little girls visit the nearby Shrine to pray for their happiness. They wear a kimono, a traditional Japanese clothing. The Shrine is crowded with young ladies and their families. There is a well just by the entrance of the Shrine. People wash their hands to sweep away the ill luck. In addition, you can have a chance to write your wish and simply tie it on the tree branch. It is very easy to find the trees with hundreds of white paper hanging on the branches. Thousands of hina dolls, whether small or big, queen or servant, are decorated around the Shrine. Visitors can enjoy looking at the different kinds of hina dolls
After visiting the Shrine, families gather around and share a special meal. Each food has a meaning for the well-being of the child. Hisimochi is a three colored rice cake. It is patterned after the figure of a human heart, and it wishes for the child's health. Hinahlare, a dried rice treat, have three colors and each represents something unique. Pink is for warding off bad luck, white is for longevity and green is for a healthy life. A drink named Sirozake is a special liquor made for the festival. Sirozake has the power to chase away the evil inside the body.
It is important to clean up all the hina doll decoration before the day turns to March 4th. This is due to a superstition that says the girl will marry late if you leave the hina doll after the festival day. You can see how Japanese parents really care about their daughters. Hinamatsuri is a distinct holiday because it celebrates only girls, and it shows that daughters are equally dear as sons. If you have a daughter, or maybe in the future, why not visit Japan in early March and enjoy decorating the hina dolls, pay a visit to the Shrine and taste some Japanese treats? I am sure your girl will love it!
To Hayoon Kim from Byungwook Kim(EIT 201300476) Assignment#2
ReplyDelete1. What I like about this piece of writing is that I could learn more of Japanese culture.
2. Your main point seems to be girls will be loving the ceremony.
3. Honestly, I just couldn’t find any lines that struck me powerful.
4. You said you right your wishes and tie them on the tree branch, but write your wishes on what?
5. The one change you could make that would make the biggest improvement in this piece of writing is to use more sophisticated vocabulary.
Hinamatsuri: A festival only for girls
ReplyDelete201300510 KIM HAYOON
March 3rd 2014 was a start of the new school year for Korean students, but it was a special day for Japanese girls. Hinamatsuri is a holiday that celebrates young girls' growth and wishes for health. Originally, the custom of praying for longevity came from ancient China, where people washed their hands and feet with river water to protect themselves from bad luck. With the course of time, this ancient Chinese practice spread to Japan, and it has changed to what we now know as the Hina Festival. Japanese households celebrate the holiday by decorating hina dolls, visiting the Shrine, and sharing holiday food with the family.
Two or three weeks before the Hinamatsuri, each family that has a daughter decorates the house with hina dolls. A hina doll is a traditional Japanese doll that was once believed to ward off misfortune. Nowadays, it only serves as a symbol of the festival. Hina dolls vary in color and size and price. They can be made out of paper, silk or even pottery. The more decorative it is, the more expensive it is. It is unique to know that each hina doll has a different posture and a different look. Hina dolls are arranged on a shelf that is covered with a red cloth. The shelf can be from one-stage to seven-stages, depending on the number of dolls the family can afford. For example, the highest stage is for the king and the queen doll, decorated in the most delicate and fancy manner.
On the festival day, little girls and their families visit the nearby Shrine to pray for their happiness. They wear a kimono, a traditional Japanese clothing. The Shrine is crowded with people eager to celebrate this special day. There is a well just by the entrance of the Shrine. People wash their hands to sweep away the ill luck. After they wash their hands, visitors write their wish on a white piece of paper and simply tie it on a tree branch. Once the papers are tied, people walk around the shrine to see the hina dolls. Thousands of hina dolls, whether big or small, fancy or modest, are decorated along the rails of the Shrine.
After visiting the Shrine, families gather around and share a special meal. Each food has a meaning for the well-being of the child. Hisimochi is a three colored rice cake. It is patterned after the figure of a human heart, and it wishes for the child's health. Hinahlare, a dried rice treat, have three colors and each represents something unique. Pink is for warding off bad luck, white represents longevity and green symbolizes a healthy life. A drink named Sirozake is a special liquor made for the festival. Sirozake has the power to chase away the evil inside the body.
It is important to clean up all the hina doll decoration before the day turns to March 4th. This is due to a superstition that says the girl will marry late if you leave the hina doll after the festival day. You can see how Japanese parents really care about their daughters. Hinamatsuri is a distinct holiday because it celebrates only girls, and it shows that daughters are equally dear as sons. If you have a daughter, or maybe in the future, why not visit Japan in early March and enjoy decorating the hina dolls, pay a visit to the Shrine and taste some unique Japanese treats? I am sure that your girl will love it!
Hinamatsuri: A festival only for girls
ReplyDelete201300510 KIM HAYOON
March 3rd 2014 was a start of the new school year for Korean students, but it was a special day for Japanese girls. Hinamatsuri is a holiday that celebrates young girls' growth and wishes for health. Originally, the custom of praying for longevity came from ancient China, where people washed their hands and feet with river water to protect themselves from bad luck. With the course of time, this ancient Chinese practice spread to Japan, and it has changed to what we now know as the Hina Festival. Japanese households celebrate the holiday by decorating hina dolls, visiting the Shrine, and sharing holiday food with the family.
Two or three weeks before the Hinamatsuri, each family that has a daughter decorates the house with hina dolls. A hina doll is a traditional Japanese doll that was once believed to ward off misfortune. Nowadays, it only serves as a symbol of the festival. Hina dolls vary in color and size and price. They can be made out of paper, silk or even pottery. The more decorative it is, the more expensive it is. It is unique to know that each hina doll has a different posture and a different look. Hina dolls are arranged on a shelf that is covered with a red cloth. The shelf can be from one-stage to seven-stages, depending on the number of dolls the family can afford. For example, the highest stage is for the king and the queen doll, decorated in the most delicate and fancy manner.
On the festival day, little girls and their families visit the nearby Shrine to pray for their happiness. They wear a kimono, a traditional Japanese clothing. The Shrine is crowded with people eager to celebrate this special day. There is a well just by the entrance of the Shrine. People wash their hands to sweep away the ill luck. After they wash their hands, visitors write their wish on a white piece of paper and simply tie it on a tree branch. Once the papers are tied, people walk around the shrine to see the hina dolls. Thousands of hina dolls, whether big or small, fancy or modest, are decorated along the rails of the Shrine.
After visiting the Shrine, families gather around and share a special meal. Each food has a meaning for the well-being of the child. Hisimochi is a three colored rice cake. It is patterned after the figure of a human heart, and it wishes for the child's health. Hinahlare, a dried rice treat, have three colors and each represents something unique. Pink is for warding off bad luck, white represents longevity and green symbolizes a healthy life. A drink named Sirozake is a special liquor made for the festival. Sirozake has the power to chase away the evil inside the body.
It is important to clean up all the hina doll decoration before the day turns to March 4th. This is due to a superstition that says the girl will marry late if you leave the hina doll after the festival day. You can see how Japanese parents really care about their daughters. Hinamatsuri is a distinct holiday because it celebrates only girls, and it shows that daughters are equally dear as sons. If you have a daughter, or maybe in the future, why not visit Japan in early March and enjoy decorating the hina dolls, pay a visit to the Shrine and taste some unique Japanese treats? I am sure that your girl will love it!