"Hinematsuri," or the Doll Festival, is celebrated in Japan on March 3 to pray for the health and well-being of daughters. Local families are invited to celebrate with storyteller Tara McGowan in the Cotsen Children’s Library at Princeton University on Saturday, March 6, from 10 a.m. to noon.
In early times in Japan, dolls were not just viewed as toys, but were seen as having talismanic powers. They also formed an important part of a woman’s wedding dowry. The celebration in the Cotsen library will look at the roles of women and girls in Japanese society through songs, doll-making, games and stories, and see what various kinds of dolls can tell us about the lives that women led in former days and today.
The "Hinematsuri" event is part of a series of festivals at Cotsen celebrating "Kodomo no bunka," or "children’s culture," in Japan. Families are also invited to participate in a "Kodomo no hi," or "Children’s Day," on Sunday, May 2.
The Cotsen Children’s Library is located in Firestone Library on the Princeton campus, at the corner of Nassau Street and Washington Road. For more information, or to register your family to participate in "Hinematsuri" or "Kodomo no hi," call Bonnie Bernstein (609) 258-2697 or e-mail [email protected].
