[For Seniors] Hina Matsuri (Girls’ Day) Trivia Quiz & Fun Facts. Recommended for Dementia Prevention Activities

Hanging Hina (traditional hanging Hina doll decorations)

In the Edo period, lavish hina dolls were very expensive and beyond the reach of ordinary people. It is said that this led mothers and grandmothers to handcraft small dolls from kimono scraps and hang them on strings, embedding wishes that children would never go hungry and would grow up healthy—thus marking the beginning of tsurushi-bina (hanging hina dolls).

Playing house with dolls

The correct answer is playing house with dolls. In the Heian period, “hina-asobi” or “hiina-asobi” referred to a play activity using small dolls and miniatures that imitated houses and everyday tools—essentially what we would call modern-day make-believe or playing house. The word “hiina” carries the meaning of “something small and cute.” It is said that this play, combined with the ritual of floating dolls down a river to ward off misfortune, evolved into the custom of displaying the lavish Hina dolls seen today.

Right after the Doll Festival ends

Because Hina dolls are regarded as protective deities that take on misfortune in a child’s place, it’s considered best to put them away as soon as possible after the Doll Festival ends. There is a well-known traditional saying that “if you put them away late, your marriage will be delayed,” but there are no strict rules. Incidentally, some believe the best day to put them away is Keichitsu on March 5.

ceramics

The correct answer is ceramics. Seto City in Aichi Prefecture is one of Japan’s leading pottery-producing regions with a history spanning over a thousand years, and it is also the origin of the word “setomono.” Every spring, the event “Ceramic Town: Seto Hina Meguri” is held in the area, during which Hina dolls crafted from pottery and porcelain that showcase artisans’ skills are displayed throughout the town.

Tokushima Prefecture

The “Big Hinamatsuri” is an event held annually in Katsuura Town, Tokushima Prefecture, and is considered a hallmark of spring. It began in 1988, and is said to have started by collecting hina dolls no longer displayed in homes from all over Japan, offering them a memorial service, and exhibiting them. At the center of the venue stands a massive pyramid-shaped “Hundred-Tier Hina Stand” about 8 meters tall, and the sight of roughly 30,000 dolls lavishly displayed throughout the venue is nothing short of breathtaking.

heart

The correct answer is “heart.” There’s a theory that the distinctive diamond shape of hishi-mochi imitates the shape of the water chestnut (hishi) fruit, but there’s also a theory that it actually represents the shape of a heart. The heart is the source of life, and it’s said that the shape was modeled after a heart to express parents’ wishes for their daughters to be healthy and live long lives.

peerless; unrivaled; invincible (lit. “matchless under heaven”)

One of the meanings of the peach flower is “invincible,” which originates from the story of Izanagi-no-Mikoto driving away demons by hurling peach fruits at them.