Girls' Day

[gurdymonkey]

Nagashi bina

'I, sent running down
to the vastness of a sea
I had never known,
as a doll runs, can but know
an overwhelming sorrow.'

- Murasaki Shikibu, Chapter 12, "Suma," The Tale of Genji (translated
by Royall Tyler, p. 252).

The Doll's Reply

Why must my sleeves soak
With the weight of his folly
As I float, tideborne?
Conscienceless straw, I dance
And soon sink, unremembered.

- Saionji no Hanae

Konbanwa, tomodachi. Girls' Day is March 3. While modern celebrations of the Hina Matsuri (doll festival) involve elaborate displays of dolls, the earliest traditions date to the Heian period and are still practiced in some parts of Japan. In the above passage from The Tale of Genji, a yin yang master enacts a purification ritual for the exiled prince, transferring evil spirits or disruptive influences into a straw or paper doll. The doll is then placed in a small boat and floated out to sea (or down a river).

As I read about nagashi bina (floating dolls), I found the idea and image compelling: give your bad luck to the sacrifice and drown the sacrifice. I should also mention that Genji was in exile due to his own actions.

For those unfamiliar with Japanese poetic conventions, the image of wet sleeves is usually used to signify grief since a person would hide one's weeping face in one's sleeve.

Links on Hina Matsuri and Nagashi Bina:
The Hina Matsuri song, with video of a doll display:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQV1JraT2jw

Little girls in Yanagawa riding boats at the festival.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldTQ3l5ikJk

Children float dolls down the river in basket boats in Tottori City:
http://www.maff.go.jp/soshiki/kambou/joutai/onepoint/trad/photo/j01.jpg

The rather battered and much loved Empress doll I rescued from abargain table at the aptly named Genji Antiques last year.
http://www.wodefordhall.com/doll.jpg

Comments

[sasha-khan.livejournal.com]

My parents were both very interested in folk art and holidays - so my mother insisted that he hang a series of hooks under the eaves of the house, so that she could hang the 30' koi banner a friend gave her when I was bprn.

As a cild, I was amused that we celebrated a holiday (Tango no sekku that no other anglo gamily in the neighbourhood even seemed to know about - the philistines!

[sasha-khan.livejournal.com]

please pardon the excellent spelling today - someone else's (inconsiderate funky) keyboard and champagne are to blame

[gurdymonkey.livejournal.com]

You are celebrating a life, it's cool.

Good Stuff!

[swift-inktails.livejournal.com]

I came across your blog post when searching on Technorati. I didn't know there were so many videos out there for Ohina Matsuri. Next weekend on the 18th there is going to be a waterway parade I'm sure you'd like to see in Yanagawa. I wrote a little bit about it on my local info blog (http://golocal.inktails.com/2007/02/yanagawas_spring_colors.php) since I'm also here.

Re: Good Stuff!

[gurdymonkey.livejournal.com]

Lucky you! I've never been to Japan. Some day. Some day....

Re: Good Stuff!

[swift-inktails.livejournal.com]

Well then, I'll have to take some photos to post for you to see from this weekend's events. There are so many old people here taking photos of the same thing though, it sort of takes some of the fun out of it....;-)