Curriculum Guide. Hina Matsuri: Celebrating Girls Day in Japan exhibition

Transcription

1 Curriculum Guide Hina Matsuri: Celebrating Girls Day in Japan exhibition Theme: Examine the traditions and celebrations of Hina Matsuri, Girls Day in Japan. Objective: Learn about Hina Matsuri as a Japanese celebration of girlhood by looking at its customs and recreating some of its activities.

2 Contents What is Hina Matsuri? 3 Hina Matsuri Dolls 4 Kimonos for Dolls 5 Origami Dolls 6 Kime Bina 7 Kaiawase 8 Quiz 9 Quiz Answers 10 Worksheet 11 Hina Matsuri/Girls Day Curriculum Guide Girl Museum Inc 2

3 What is Hina Matsuri? Hina Matsuri, known in English as Girls Day, is a Japanese holiday that is celebrated every year on March 3rd. The traditions and figures of the dolls date back over a thousand years, although Hina Matsuri didn t become a holiday until the 1600s. Hina Matsuri is celebrated by families with girl children as a day to pray for a girl s health, growth, beauty and happiness. Families begin setting up the dolls in early February and take them down right after the holiday is over. It is important to put the dolls away immediately because traditions say that girls who leave their dolls out may have bad luck. At first, Hina Matsuri celebrations only included the dairi bina dolls, but as time went on more and more dolls were added. Early dolls were created from paper; today, many dolls are made of wood and plaster and held together with a seaweed glue. Hina Matsuri/Girls Day Curriculum Guide Girl Museum Inc 3

4 Hina Matsuri Dolls On Hina Matsuri, the hina dolls are displayed as if it was a royal wedding day. It is customary to present them on a platform covered with a red carpet, called a hina dan. The two most important dolls are the dairi bina, representations of an Emperor (Odairisama) and Empress (Ohina Sama). The dairi bina sit front and center on the hina dan. In more elaborate displays, three ladies in waiting (san nin kanjo) are below the dairiban: the one in the middle holds a table, while the ones on either side are posed to pour sake (rice wine). Below these dolls are five musician dolls (gonin bayashi). One plays the taiko drum, two play tsuzumi, one plays a fue flute, and the last is a singer with a fan in front of him. Hina dan from different parts of Japan have different decorations on them. In Kyoto, the hina dan have kitchens and fires for cooking. In Tokyo, they are tall with many steps and display shelves and furniture. All hina dan are decorated with peach blossoms, and the dolls are given rice cakes called mochi. Hina Matsuri/Girls Day Curriculum Guide Girl Museum Inc 4

5 Kimonos for Your Own Dolls While the costume worn by the Empress is very elaborate, you can make a similar kimono for your own doll. What You Need: Colored tissue paper Crayons, markers, colored pencils Ribbon Your own dolls Cut out a square of tissue paper that is long enough to wrap around your doll to make a robe this is your doll s kimono. Color the square however you want. Carefully punch holes into the kimono to make room for your doll s arms, but be careful not to rip the tissue paper (ask an adult if you need help). You can add several layers of different colored paper to make a more vibrant, festival look. When you are done, put your doll s arms through the holes and wrap the kimono around. Tie it with a piece of ribbon. Hina Matsuri/Girls Day Curriculum Guide Girl Museum Inc 5

6 Origami Hina Dolls The Japanese art of paper folding is called origami. With a little practice, you can make almost anything out of origami. Hina dolls can be made of many materials. Hundreds of years ago, they were made out of paper and this tradition continues today. You Will Need: Colored origami paper Markers, crayons, colored pencils Here are visual instructions for how to make an origami hina matsuri doll: You can also watch a detailed video about how to make your origami doll at festival in japan/. Hina Matsuri/Girls Day Curriculum Guide Girl Museum Inc 6

7 Kime Bima Kime Bima are hina dolls made out of wood. What You Need: Triangular shaped pieces of wood (you can buy some pre cut, or ask an adult to cut one for you) Tissue paper Glue Scissors Markers The piece of wood is your doll the pointy end of the triangle is the head and the wider part is the body. You ll be making clothes out of the tissue paper. You can make a kimono (robe) by wrapping a piece of tissue paper around your doll to measure it, then cutting it out. Decorate your kimono with markers. Coat your wooden doll with glue and then wrap the kimono around. You can also cut a fan and hair out of tissue paper and glue those onto your doll. After you are all done dressing your doll, you can draw a face. Here is a picture for inspiration: Hina Matsuri/Girls Day Curriculum Guide Girl Museum Inc 7

8 Kaiawase Kaiawase is a very old game that is played with polished clam shells that have pictures painted on them. It is very much like the game Concentration or Memory. The clam shells are placed face down and you have to match the pictures on the back of each shell. It would be easy and fun to make your own kaiawase game. If you are able to find shells, that would be the best. But you can use anything paper, cardboard would be good then cut out 20 identical circular or square cards. Draw or paint the symbols of Hina Matsuri, like peach blossoms, mandarins, fans, and green or pink diamonds, on two of the cards. Make sure there is a match for each card. Place them face down, and mix them up. Then turn each card over one at a time. Try to remember what is on each card, because you want to match similar cards. Keep going until every card has been matched. Hina Matsuri/Girls Day Curriculum Guide Girl Museum Inc 8

9 Hina Matsuri Quiz 1. When is Hina Matsuri? a) mid February b) 3 rd of March c) 3 rd of May 2. The word for Girl s day in Japanese is Hina Matsuri. What does this actually mean? a) Doll s festival b) Emperor and Empress Day c) Peach Festival 3. At the top of the doll display for Hina Matsuri are two dolls. Who are they? a) the King and Queen b) the mum and dad c) the Emperor and Empress 4. Hina Matsuri or Girl s day is also called: a) Apple Blossom day b) Peach Blossom day c) Cherry Blossom day 5. How much would you pay to buy a full display of dolls? a) 10,000 yen ($100 AUD) b) 100,000 yen ($1,000 AUD) c) 1,000,000 yen ($10,000 AUD) 6. How many tiers does a typical doll display have? a) 3 and 5 b) 5 and 7 c) 7 and What do girls do on Hina Matsuri? a) dress in Kimonos, visit friends, drink tea and eat pink rice cakes b) dress in Kimonos and drink pink rice wine c) visit friends and eat rice 8. If doll displays are not put away immediately after Hina Matsuri, Japanese believe: a) the girls will experience bad luck b) the peaches will not grow c) the girls will not be able to get married 9. Why are dolls used for Hina Matsuri? a) dolls carry bad spirits away b) girls like dolls c) dolls are fun to play with Hina Matsuri/Girls Day Curriculum Guide Girl Museum Inc 9