On March 4th, the dolls go back in their boxes. Why the hurry? It is said that if the dolls are displayed for too long after the festival, the girls of the household will be late to marry.
Ah, yes, the "appropriate" age to marry...this is obviously an old custom. But the dilemma is still here.
Many young working females in Japan are realizing that if you have a career you may not necessarily want to have a family of your own. Then there are the "arafour". This term actually derived from English : "around forty". The age group that has busy careers...so busy that they have not married and in many cases no time to go out on dates, let alone look for someone eligible. Now this conversation can open up a whole different can of worms. Believe me, I'll get to this subject sooner or later, but not today.
Back to dolls, there are many different types these days, ranging from paper to ceramic. Prices also vary. I do not own any hinamatsuri dolls, so I unfortunately do not have a picture I can post without someone yelling at me about copyright, so google hinamatsuri and you will find loads of great pictures!
Hinamatsuri Tip: What if you can't put the dolls away on the 4th? (work etc...) Answer: Turn the dolls around so that their backs are to the front. Then put them away when you do have time.
Speaking of Google...here's the google banner for Hinamatsuri (maybe only seen in Japan?!)
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