Celebrating Girls on Hinamatsuri

Date: March 19, 2023

Time: 12:30PM - 2:30PM

Cost: $12 for seniors (70+) and children (8-11), $15 for adults (age 12+)

Registration is closed for this event.

For our March luncheon in 2023, we will be celebrating Hinamatsuri, also known as Girl’s Day or Doll’s Day, with temari sushi, a vibrantly decorated variation of sushi. This day has a long history in Japanese culture as a day to pray for the health and development of young girls and we are proud to carry on that tradition right here in Fort Worth.

歴史 History

Although the precise origins of Hinamatsuri (雛祭り) is unknown, it dates back to the Japanese Heian Period (approximately 794 to 1185 CE). During the Heian Period, Hinamatsuri was observed primarily by crafting paper dolls and releasing them into rivers with a direct line to the sea. It was believed by Japanese people of that time period that the dolls would carry sickness and bad fortune with them away from their villages and cities.

During the Edo Period (1603 to 1867 CE), this tradition gradually changed form. Rather than being a day to ward off bad fortune and evil spirits, it became a day of prayer for the good health and prosperity of young girls. Instead of paper dolls released into rivers, people began to display dolls attired in traditional court attire of the Heian period.

今時 Today

One of the most iconic displays hinamasturi dolls is constructed every year in Katsuura, a small coastal town in the Chiba prefecture, that displays over 30,000 dolls every year.

Some popular dishes that can be found throughout Japan in honor of this day are:

• Hinoarare - pink, sugary rice crackers

• chirashi-zushi - slightly sweetened sushi

• hishi-mochi - rhomboid-shaped rice cakes

• amazake - non-alcoholic sweet sake

For our celebration at the Fort Worth Japanese Society, the ladies of Wakabakai will serve Temari sushi and will even teach us how it is made.

This variation of sushi gets its name from the unique ball-shape used for the rice and the brightly colored ingredients used for the toppings.

This vibrant food is the perfect way to share this piece of Japanese culture with our fellow Texans and we can’t wait to hear what everyone things.