Hina-nagashi Festival at Awashima Shrine in 2023
On March 3, 2023, I went to Awashima Shrine in Kada Area to see Hinanagashi Festival.
The "hinamatsuri festival" is also called the Doll Festival. It is held on March 3rd. At the festival, families with girl children display dolls called hina and eat eat sweetmeats, and drink shirozake (white sake made from sake and rice malt).
"Hina" means the doll and "nagashi" means leaving something being washed away. Hinanagashi Festvial at Awashima Shrine is very popular. A lot of women come to see off hina dolls on wooden small boats at the nearby shore, saying farewells to the guardians of girls.
If this year had been an ordinary year, women would have carried the boats on their shoulders to the shore. Due to Covid-19, the dolls and the boats were carried by car in 2023. I hope women will be allowed to carry the dolls and the boats by themselves next year.