Next: 3 Mar 2027
Hinamatsuri
Dolls of the imperial court on a red cloth, peach blossom, and diamond rice cakes in pink, white and green.
The colours of Hinamatsuri
On 3 March Japanese families with daughters set out hina dolls: an emperor and empress and their court in silk robes of the Heian period, arranged on steps covered with bright red cloth. Red is a protective colour in Japan, and the dolls were once thought to take a child's bad luck on themselves. The day is also called the peach festival, and pink peach blossom stands beside the dolls. The sweet of the day is hishi mochi, a diamond-shaped rice cake in three layers. A common reading is green for new growth, white for the last snow and pink for the blossom, so that the cake shows spring arriving. Small coloured rice crackers called hina arare repeat the colours.
#C8161DHina redThe red cloth under the dolls; protection.#F5A3B5Peach pinkPeach blossom, and the top layer of hishi mochi.#FBFBF7Snow whiteThe middle layer: melting snow.#8CBF6AShoot greenThe bottom layer: new growth.Values are fair approximations, not official shades.
Read about the colours
Written by the Rang desk with AI assistance. Background: "Hinamatsuri" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from family to family and place to place. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.