In Japanese culture, March 3 is Hinamatsuri, or Girls Day. The holiday celebrates girls and their futures. In the spirit of springtime and femininity, many of the traditional foods of Hinamatsuri are pink, including chirashi sushi and sakura mochi. The mochi are tinted pink from cherry juice and wrapped in a salted cherry leaf.
These lovely sakura mochi are from the Shuei-Do Manju Shop in San Jose’s Japantown, where they are handmade in the traditional way for only a few days each year.
Besides the festive foods, families often display elaborate dolls of the emperor, empress and imperial court on multi-tiered red carpets.
Image Credit: David Wiley/opencontent, Flickr
And in case you were wondering, the Japanese also have a Boys Day, which is celebrated on May 5 each year.
Go girls! What a lovely holiday. In awe of the intricate imperial court display, too.
The sakura mochi got me started drooling all over my keyboard. lol! And the display of the dolls are simply beautiful!
Thank you for your post, Grace, I so enjoyed it. :)
~Virginia
This post made my day — that’s my daughter’s birthday! This makes the day even more special!
Jen :)