In case you haven't noticed, most of Japan's Holidays fall on the day of the month that correlates to the number of the month (i.e. Jan. 1st, March 3rd, May 5th....). March 3rd is known as Hinamatsuri, which is literally translated as Small Doll Festival. However, it is more commonly known as Girl's Day!

The day is only celebrated by those parents who have little girls. Boys have their own day on May 5th. As Girl's Day approaches, it is very common for Japanese parents to put up a special display in the main room of their home.

While the display is actually a miniature representation of a marriage ceremony, that is not necessarily its intended purpose. The display is supposed to bestow good fortune, happiness, and good health on the little girls in the home.

Long ago, the display would contain seven steps or tiers, but due to the smaller contemporary homes, the displays only have about three. While the display itself is not designed to bring a good marriage for the little girl, forgetting to take it down does bring something....bad luck! Superstition says that if you do not take the display down by March 4th, the girl will either not get married until she is much older or not at all!

Long ago, the Hinamatsuri dolls were made of either mud or paper. Today, with the modern world, you are able to find much more elaborate, albeit expensive, dolls to display in the home. However, when it comes to good fortune and health for your daughter, I am sure the cost is well worth the benefit!

So, if you haven't already, enjoy Hinamatsuri and celebrate the daughter in your life!

To view some Japanese Hinamatsuri dolls, visit www.japan2america.com.

To purchase Japanese items to enhance your decor and bring about some luck of your own, visit us at Tenchi!

Troy S. Hogg is the owner of Tenchi, LLC and webmaster of http://www.tenchi.us, a website dedicated to providing free and easy Japanese food recipes as well as information and products from Japan that help to balance the body, mind, and spirit!