Pop Japan

Through the years, the Katsuura Big Doll Festival has been known as the Hina Matsuri, the Doll Festival or the Girls' Day. Celebrated every March 3, given the names of the festival, the practices held are all related to wishing the little girls in the house to gain some luck in the future, to have a happy life.

During this day, families display their collection of traditional Japanese dolls, dressed in the Heian Period fashion. The dolls are composed of the Emperor and the Empress and all the members of their court. They are then arranged in stair-like display, with the Emperor and Empress dolls on top.

Photo by Tak H. Licensed under Creative Commons. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/)

Tags: katsuura big doll festival, hina matsuri, doll festival, girls day, traditional japanese dolls, heian period, emperor, empress