"After a time, when a perfect shower of balls had passed through the tissue
drums, quite demolishing them, a shower of coloured papers, miniature
lanterns, paper umbrellas, and flags came slowly fluttering down among
the children on to their jet-black bobbing heads and into their eager
outstretched hands. Never have I seen anything more beautiful than these
gay, brightly-clad little people, packed closely together like a cluster
of flowers in the brilliant sparkling sunshine, with their pretty upturned
faces watching the softly falling rain of coloured toys."
CHAPTER XI
THE FEAST OF DOLLS AND THE FEAST OF FLAGS
On the third day of the third month there is great excitement in every
Japanese household which numbers a girl among its domestic treasures: for
the Feast of Dolls has come, the great festival for dolls. On this day the
most beautiful dolls and dolls' houses are fetched from the godown, where
the family furniture is kept, and are on exhibition for a short time, set
out on shelves covered with scarlet cloth.
These dolls are the O-Hina, the honourable dolls. They are kept with the
greatest care, and in some families there are dolls which are centuries
old. As each doll is dressed exactly in the costume of its age, and is
furnished with belongings which represent in miniature the furniture of
that age, such a collection has great historic value, and is used to teach
the children how their ancestors looked and lived.
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