Japanese Girl's Day Customs

In Japan, March 3 is the happiest day of the year for girls, as it is traditionally called "Girls' Day".

The festival is also called the "Peach Blossom Festival". The name comes from the fact that it used to fall on March 3 of the old calendar (about a month later than March 3 of the Gregorian calendar), when the peach blossoms were in full bloom.

The festival is traditionally celebrated by setting up doll stands in homes. On this day, families with girls celebrate the healthy growth of girls by setting up a ladder-like doll stand in the living room and placing various small dolls (toy dolls) dressed in Japanese kimono on it.

These dolls are either made or bought. Whenever a Japanese girl is born, her parents, grandparents, relatives and friends will give her a set of beautiful dolls. A set of 15 dolls, usually the emperor and empress, three court ladies, five musicians, two ministers and three guards. These dolls are in different poses and are very lifelike.

Today's Japanese girls don't normally wear kimonos (traditional Japanese clothing). But on Girls' Day, they put on beautiful kimonos and invite their closest friends to sit around the doll stands, laughing, playing and enjoying the festival.