ひな祭り🎎｜Japanese Podcast #111

Hello everyone Thank you for tuning in to Japanese Podcast with HANAI This podcast is designed for those currently studying Japanese I share various things in Japanese including Japanese culture and news as well as my personal experiences and insights How are you all doing This time I'd like to talk about Hina Matsuri Have you all heard of Hina Matsuri Some of you may be hearing about this for the first time while others might vaguely recall having heard of it before Hinamatsuri is a traditional Japanese festival This event takes place every year on March 3rd What's known as the Hinamatsuri is the festival held on March 3rd It is primarily known as a day to celebrate a girl's growth and wish her happiness You might be wondering just girls What about boys Boy's Day is a separate occasion This March 3rd is dedicated to celebrating girls' growth Now that I think about it I realize Japan actually has various events every month—like January February March and so on I think the main event widely recognized throughout Japan in March is Hina Matsuri So this time let's talk about what Girls' Day is and what it means as well as a brief overview of its history I'd like to talk about things like how we celebrate now and what kinds of events are available So first of all what exactly is Hina Matsuri Its official name is Peach Blossom Festival It's also known as Peach Blossom Festival Peach as in peaches A "kisetsu" refers to a ceremony or observance held at the changing of the seasons It might be akin to a peach-themed celebration For generations Japan has observed five seasonal festivals each marking the transition between the seasons One of them is March 3rd's Hina Matsuri Now how exactly did this Hina Matsuri begin Hinamatsuri is a festival that gradually emerged over time through the blending of numerous customs and cultures It originated from China but has since evolved into a uniquely Japanese tradition In ancient China the transition between seasons was believed to be a time when illness and bad luck were more likely to enter This idea seems to have been shared by Japan as well and I think it still holds true today Right now it's that transitional time of year especially from winter to spring There are also times when the temperature shifts dramatically like from autumn to winter I think times like these naturally make it easier to come down with illness By "coming down with illness " I mean that in the past medical care wasn't nearly as advanced It seemed to be thought of as an incredibly bad luck coming in It seems there used to be an old tradition aimed at cleansing the mind and body to ward off bad luck or illness This practice made its way into Japan where it evolved into a ceremony known as Sekku At times of seasonal change people would perform certain rituals or cleanse their bodies to avoid catching a cold or welcoming bad luck Yes during the Hinamatsuri festival dolls play a central role but here's the story of where they actually originated Back in the day if someone in Japan believed they harbored some kind of malevolent spirit within it was thought that transferring it into a doll would cleanse their body The idea was to transfer all ailments misfortunes and bad luck onto dolls allowing humans to maintain a pure and clean state There was a custom or ritual of sorts where people would transfer all their wickedness onto a doll made of straw or clay and then float it down the river That's why dolls were used to ward off misfortune to promote one's own health and to bring about beauty First and foremost there was this concept of how to use a doll Later during the Heian period—also a very distant era—people played with dolls and there were even activities similar to pretend housekeeping I think girls especially would have done this When I was little I'd receive or buy lots of dolls and then give them my own characters There's a game where you play with characters as if they were mom dad or friends isn't there That game existed and it's been around for a long time There were cultural practices in Japan involving dolls such as using them to play with or to驱赶 evil spirits Using this doll to expel evil forces— Playing with dolls or decorating with them—such cultural practices as time passes and generations go by gradually evolve Working together they merged and gradually shaped the current form of the Hinamatsuri Today's Hinamatsuri involves displaying dolls There's a shelf-like structure with a red step where many dolls are displayed Dolls are placed on it and between them trees appear—specifically a peach tree grows there We decorate with peach trees and numerous springtime ornaments They decorate the space with numerous ornaments of foods traditionally eaten during the Hinamatsuri festival creating a very lavish and elaborate display It's the largest celebration of the Hinamatsuri but March 3rd is dedicated to celebrating girls' growth and wishing them happiness and good health Now it's become an event where dolls are displayed It's a bit complicated or rather I myself don't feel I've neatly organized my thoughts on it yet It's something that came from China intended to prevent catching a cold during seasonal changes and to keep bad luck from entering The tradition of doll play in Japan along with the practice of transferring one's negative qualities onto dolls—this entire blend of customs has come together to form today's Hinamatsuri And the reason we decorate dolls today is that dolls are believed to protect young girls by absorbing evil spirits I think families with daughters probably have homes where they display those traditional Hina dolls for the festival I had Hina dolls when I was a child too When you search for "Hinamatsuri " you'll likely come across images of a very elaborate red staircase lined with numerous dolls It's more suited for events and extremely luxurious venues Typically you'd find two dolls—a woman and a man—placed on a single flat level not on a staircase I think there are quite a few things that are just meant to be slightly decorated during that time I have one at home and I remember decorating it once or twice when I was a child I remember there used to be one when I was a child but somehow it disappeared over time I wonder where it might be now I think it's probably somewhere in the house though I'm not quite sure exactly where—maybe tucked away deep inside somewhere Handling that doll is also incredibly difficult you know It's such a delicate process that requiring annual adjustments—pulling it out fixing it and putting it back every one two or three weeks—becomes a real hassle I think a lot of people don't do it much anymore But I used to have it when I was a child now I don't see it at all Next I'd like to briefly introduce some foods traditionally eaten during Hina Matsuri The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of food for Hinamatsuri is hina are Is this what you'd call a snack Yes it's a snack It's not a dish but a colorful small round treat It's colorful but each hue carries its own specific meaning White symbolizes snow green represents trees and grass and pink stands for flowers conveying the wish that this will bring health and happiness throughout the year Another one is called a rice cake It's a mochi When you hear the word "mochi " what shape do you imagine Most people probably picture round mochi or square mochi but the mochi for Hinamatsuri isn’t either—it’s more like a rhombus-shaped one It’s rhombus-shaped mochi And the colors are green white and pink stacked in three layers of mochi This I think is what makes the hina matsuri mochi distinctive This color too—green white and pink—carries the wish for a healthy long life and a happy fulfilling existence And then some people might also eat chirashi sushi on this Hinamatsuri day A chirashi sushi consists of a bowl of rice with various ingredients scattered on top and that's what we call chirashi sushi And in the hand-pressed sushi there are shrimp lotus root and thinly sliced egg all of which are meant to symbolize longevity It's a food that carries the meaning of not just good acting but also bringing good luck Since this has been passed down from ancient times I can't say for sure whether people truly believe it now I don't necessarily think that's always true but I believe meals become more enjoyable when they carry some meaning which is why certain foods are chosen with intention behind them On regular days I might eat sushi or just have sashimi—sometimes I'll eat nothing but fish just sashimi like this To me it feels like chirashi sushi is usually eaten on special occasions or traditional days Girls' Day is a celebration of a girl's growth so for families without daughters—especially those with only sons—it doesn't feel like a particularly significant occasion While there are certainly Japanese events or traditions where people might casually enjoy certain foods it doesn't seem to be an event that's particularly emphasized or taken very seriously Then for very young children whether at daycare or kindergarten there are also activities like making origami for events such as Hina Matsuri—creating small figurine-like paper crafts In some elementary schools you might find special dishes related to Hinamatsuri served as part of the school lunch You might find hina dolls displayed at shopping malls or event venues so you could possibly see them there My parents recently went to the airport and apparently they had hina dolls displayed there That's why if you go to places where such people gather or events are held you can see the dolls used for Hinamatsuri and wonder what they're like If you're currently in Japan or planning to visit be sure to check it out Yes this is meant to celebrate a little girl's growth so if there's no sister or younger child around the truth is it's really just an ordinary day I'm recording podcasts like this and doing research and yeah I definitely get that sense of information about Hinamatsuri popping into my head If you're just living an ordinary life in Japan and don't have a younger sister or brother it really doesn't matter at all—truly it's nothing at all Walking down the street you might indeed see hinamatsuri dolls here and there but it's more of a "I suppose that makes sense" kind of feeling If you'd like to see those traditional Hinamatsuri dolls there are malls and event venues where such gatherings take place I think it might be worthwhile to check whether something like that is being done nearby and go take a look Today I'd like to talk about Japan's traditional festival Hina Matsuri Hina Matsuri is held on March 3rd This is a day dedicated to praying for a girl's growth and happiness There is also a separate day for praying for a boy's growth and health The Hinamatsuri festival is a culmination of various traditions and customs that have evolved over a long history blending different events and practices from the past into one cohesive celebration There are various foods eaten on this day such as hina are chirasu sushi mochi and more Each of these carries the meaning that every girl may grow up healthy and happy I think such occasions take place in March If you're curious about what hina dolls look like even though you can't go to Japan a simple search for hina matsuri on Google or similar platforms will show you plenty of them You'll find plenty of photos and videos related to this so if you're curious be sure to look them up Lastly a quick announcement: I currently offer membership through YouTube and Patreon If you'd like the video transcript or if you'd like to support this podcast and keep listening in the future We kindly invite you to join our membership Thank you so much to everyone who's already joined us We truly appreciate it as it's only thanks to you that we can continue bringing you this podcast This time as a video version we've delivered something completely different in tone and feel compared to usual If you enjoyed the video I'd truly appreciate it if you'd please give it a thumbs up That concludes our session for today Thank you all so much for listening until the very end Until next time goodbye Have a wonderful day everyone See you later