HINA MATSURI

This doll festival is celebrated all over the Archipelago. It is also called the festival of the little girls, because, each year, between Setsubun (February) and March 3, the families which have girls expose a stand of dolls in their houses. They represent the emperor and empress of the Heian period, and sometimes their whole court. In the past, noble families used to display these dolls every year until their daughter's wedding. Hina Matsuri is celebrated in many shrines and temples around the country.