Red (First entry for Mommy Moments)

You've probably learned from other moms about Hinamatsuri (雛祭り)or Girl's day. On this day families with young daughters celebrate this event at home to ensure their daughter's future happiness. That is, they decorate hina-Ningyo (special, beautiful dolls which are replicas of an ancient emperor and empress and their subordinates).

Hinamatsuri used to be an occasion when little Japanese girls had their own parties. It was customary up to the prewar years for them to invite their friends to a party at which they partook of the sweets and food offered to the dolls. Sometimes they cook and prepar the food and cakes to be offered to the dolls.

They drank Shirozake, a sweet mild rice wine too. The main offerings are small cakes - hishi mochi (diamond-shaped rice cakes) fruit-shaped candy, tiny white and red dainties of osekihan (glutinous rice boiled with red beans) and colored wheat gluten. The colorful air of both the dolls and the young girls add to the gaiety of this festival. Old country families still treasure their family hina-matsuri dolls and doll furniture which are preserved for centuries. Brides used to take their own dolls to their new homes.

Nowadays though, the sweets could be like this we gave the girls, strawberry cake! Hajimemashite, meet our girls Sarina (3 years, 8 months) and Ayana (2 years 5 months).

Many interpretations are given about the festival. Families observe it to encourage filial piety, ancestor worship, loyalty, but above all is the love of children by us parents, our joy and pride in them, and our desire to please them...

---

Happy Mommy Moments!

---