Hina matsuri is a traditional festival held by the Japanese on 3 March yearly to pray for the growth and happiness of young girls in Japan. It is a Doll Festival where the Japanese people would display a set of ornamental dolls representing the Emperor, Empress, attendants and musicians in traditional court dresses of the Heian Period. Apparently, the arrangement of the dolls from left to right defers between the Kanto and Kansai regions!
During the festival, Shirozake (sake), Hina-arare (bite-sized crackers) and Ushiojiru (salted-soup base containing clams still intact with the shells) are a customary dishes and drinks. Clam shells in food are a symbol of a united and peaceful couple as none other than the original pair of clam shells fits perfectly.
There was also a superstition about the festival that if the dolls were displayed past 4 March, it would result in the late marriages of the daughters.
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