Hina Matsuri: The Japanese Doll Festival

Every year on 3rd March, the Japanese celebrate the Hina Matsuri or the Doll Festival. Also known as the girls’ day, people all over Japan pray for the health happiness and prosperity of the girls.

This century’s old tradition is based on the belief that dolls could carry away the bad omens, sickness, evil spirits and troubles which could befall on the little ladies. The dolls are displayed in houses, streets, shrines and even stations. A traditional Hina doll set comprises of 15 dolls arranged in seven tiers on a red carpet or red silk. The dolls are attired in ancient royal costumes. The uppermost tier holds the emperor and the empress. The 2nd one displays three ladies in waiting. Five musicians are on the third tier. Two ministers occupy the fourth level. The lower levels belong to the retainers and guards. Articles of use such as furniture, utensils etc are also displayed on the lower tiers.

After the display, the dolls are released in a river so that they take away with them all the troubles and ailments. A popular superstition among the Japanese is that if the dolls are displayed for more than three days, the girls will face problems in getting married. Special food like rice cakes and non alcoholic wine are prepared and served on this festival.

Sapporo Snow Festival

The week long Sapporo Snow Festival is held every year in early February in Japan. The festival began in 1950 when school children decided to have some fun by making snow models, now it is an opportunity to strengthen international ties. Teams from other countries also participate in the snow sculpting competition which turns this place into a winter wonderland during the festival. This amazing event attracts millions of people from all over the world.

Hundreds of snow statues are on display at the Odori Park, Susukino and Tusdome, the main sites of the festival where statues as large as multistory buildings can be seen. You can see your favorite cartoon characters, movie characters, magical creatures, graceful swans, famous buildings and celebrities all carved out of snow. In the evening, when the sculptures are illuminated, they simply take your breath away.

Although the snow sculptures are the main attraction, other forms of entertainments are available as well. Susukino holds a beauty contest where The Queen of Ice is selected. At Satoland sporting facilities are available; there are huge snow slides and snow maze where tourist can enjoy themselves. Food stalls are set up at Odori Park where you can taste various Japanese delicacies as well as sample food from other countries.

Hamauri: Purify yourself the Japanese Way

The island of Okinawa has always maintained its individuality. When the rest of Japan celebrates Hina Matsuri, the doll festival for little girls; Okinawa holds a cleansing festival for all the women of the island.

Hamauri is a ritual observed mostly in Okinawa Japan where women go to the beach early in the morning to cleanse themselves of bad omens and purify themselves spiritually.

Held in early March, the young girls and women head for the beach early in the morning and wait for the high tide. When the tide comes, the salty sea water must touch their foreheads three times. This ceremony is called the Ubinari and it purifies the ladies as the receding sea water takes away their bad tidings and misfortunes leaving them with the blessings of good health and good luck. The ladies then stroll along the white sandy beach, another ritual which purifies them. Later in the day they are joined by their families and together they look for shells, octopus, crabs and the other creatures which the tide has brought along with it. A good catch obviously means a good year.

On the lighter side, it is a day for some fun and food with rice cakes being the special dish for the occasions.

Top 3 Most Famous East Asian Festivals in April

Top 3 Most Famous East Asian Festivals in April

April is a month of celebration for many in eastern Asian countries such as the Philippines, Japan, China, Thailand, and others. There are plenty of interesting and colorful festivals around this time. The top three being:

The Songkran Festival in ThailandThe Good Friday Cruxification in PhilippinesThe Water Splashing Festival in China
Thailand is a land of festivals all year round. Among the most famous festivals, Songkran is probably the most important. It marks the New Year according to the Thai traditional calendar, and it is celebrated nationwide over a period of four days with extremely lively events. The Good Friday  Crucifixion in the Philippines isn’t so different from any other Good Friday celebration around the world. It’s just the most famous in the region worth mentioning. Much of the celebration takes place in the city of San Fernando. The locals from all around the country gather to play out Christ’s agony by  displaying the whole crucifixion process. The only difference here is probably that everything is done for real, even the nailing to the crosses! The Water Splashing Festival in China is simply a fabulous spring event held in the Jinghong, Yunnan province. There is plenty of dragon boat racing, fireworks, water throwing, and dancing.