Doll's protection and golden knot

- Small pieces of cultural information about wedding in Japan. -

An empress doll wearing the ceremonial attire of a Japanese court lady consisting of twelve layers of unlined kimono / a handicraft by an artisan

My daughter had a wedding on March 4th.  The previous night we had a home party, Hina-matsuri (Dolls-festival).   Dolls are believed to protect people from diseases and misfortunes.  When a daughter is born, a set of hina-dolls are presented to pray for her healthy growth and happiness customarily from the grandparents.  I have displayed hina dolls without interruption since my daughter's first March 3rd.  Prior to her start of the second life stage, we thanked dolls for their good protection of the past years.

Seven-tired set of dolls is grandeur and brightens up the cold Japanese mat room of February.

These are wedding money gift envelopes.  I like the lovely papers and the golden or colored decorative knots which fit to English idiomatic expression "tying the knot".  Families, relatives, and those who are invited to the wedding ceremony are supposed to give a gift of money sometimes along with goods.  The envelopes are traditionally made of Japanese papers, while the red one from her brother and his wife at the lower left is modern and is made of a handkerchief.

My daughter was attracted by a simple and small wooden chapel in the woods of Tsurumi where Flower Exposition was once held. Many Japanese couples choose chapel wedding regardless of their Buddhism or Shintoism background. For one reason, only families and relatives are supposed to attend the ceremony in traditional Japanese style, while everyone is welcome to chapel wedding. She wanted their friends to be the part of the wedding ceremony.

A traditional Japanese fan (suehiro), a small vanity case (hakoseko), and a sheathed dagger (kaiken) are carried in the obi belt, when a bride wears Japanese bridal kimono. The dagger was for both self-protection and the ritual suicide when the bride (of a samurai warrior, not a merchant or a farmer) was insulted or dishonored her husband in feudal age.



A bride wears "hikifurisode", a kimono with long, flowing sleeves and a padded, trailing hem.

Married women wear "tomesode", the most formal black kimono with five family crests and designs along the bottom of the kimono.

There has been the superstition that if a family does not put the dolls away right after the Hina-matsuri, the daughter will be troubled getting married. I'm not so superstitious that I have kept them displayed during the whole March as seasonal decoration.

 These dolls will continue to protect my granddaughter, hopefully granddaughters.

Though marriage and having children is a choice and what is happiness depends on the person, personally I'm happy to be married with children.

Cheers to the well-being of all the girls young and old!

Sweet white sake made from fermented rice is used as the celebratory drink for the Doll's Festival.