The Ritual of March - Japanese HINA MATSURI - Tune into Divine Feminine Energy!

 In Japan, on the 3rd of March, we celebrate our traditional Hina Matsuri, the Dolls Festival dedicated to girls. It symbolizes our wish for our daughters to grow up healthy, surrounded by love and happiness. (Don't worry, we have Boys' Day on May 5th!)

A central feature of this festival is a grand display of a set of dolls known as Hina dolls arranged on red fabric. The display portrays the wedding of the emperor and empress from the elegant 9th century. In my family home, we continue to showcase the Hina dolls, accompanied by delicate pink peach blossoms.

Flower arrangement is also part of the festival and pretty peach blossoms complete the scene.

Together with the family, we eat Chirashi sushi and strawberry was often at the table. 

March is filled with pink and red and all soft and joyful energy.

In my birthplace, Wakayama, renowned for its natural beauty and spirituality, we participate in the annual traditional ceremony called Hina Nagashi at Awashima Shrine, dedicated to the divine goddess. Since spirits reside in dolls, we don't discard unwanted dolls in the trash. Instead, we express gratitude for their presence, take them to the shrine, and seek healing from the Shinto priest. The dolls are then returned to the sea, the place where their spirits belong.

Simultaneously, we purify ourselves by releasing unwanted energies that may lead to illness and misfortunes and send them away with the dolls.

If you find yourself in Japan, it's truly worth a visit.

Following the Japanese traditional festival to celebrate feminine energy, the 7th March (2024)  is the International Women's Day.  Well, our collective waves of feminine energy is in the air, as in nature.