El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-03-03

ment, is the birthday anniversary OF
every girl in Japan. Being her birth
day anniversary, every Japanese girl is
today playing with her dolls, with the
new one she received this morning as
her gift, and with the old ones that she
has had on her birthday anniversaries,
as well as with those that her mother
and grandmothers received on their
birthday anniversaries.
OF course, not every girl in Japan
was born on the third of March. The
japanese have a fashion of calculating
ages that is entirely different from
ours. and, they think. much simpler
and better. Every girl is a year old on
the third of March after she is born,
and every boy is a year old on the fifth
Of May following his advent into this
world.
Is An Accepted. Chinese Custom.
A girl baby born yesterday already
has acquired the dignity and honor OF
a full year. and is just as old. accord
ing to the Japanese method Of calcu-
lation, as some other little girl who
was born on the fourth of March last
year. In China, from whence Japan
derived most of its old civilization
baby Is one year old the day 1T Is born.
The Japanese adapted this custom by
establishing a boys holiday and girls
holiday to serve as general nileposts
for all the people. This does not in
terfere. perhaps. with the correct nota-
ton of the actual date of birth and its
remembrance, but IT remains a fact
that these two days are the days that
are celebrated as birthday anniversa-
, ries for all the girls and boys in the
empire
The celebration of the girls birthday
anniversary is extended over all of the
first week in March, and it is a gala
time for all the people, harvest time
for the toy shops. 1t is called "hina
matsuri" or the feast of dolls. and.
like every other Japanese festival Is
used to implant in the youthful mind
the notion that loyalty to the emperor
is the chief virtue of human life
The japanese Dolls
Dolls are dolls. the world over. end
the japanese dolls are familiar to al
most all Americans, for they abound in
Japanese shops in American cities
around Christmas time. But dolls are
rot used for the same purpose, or in
the same way. in Japan that they are
in the United States.
When the Dolls Festival week comes
around the children. especially the
girls, are decked out in their very best
clothes and are taken to the toy shops
Japanese children in toy shops in the
first week in March behave very. much
as do American children in toy shops
Just before Christmas They wonder
and admire, are excited and gay, beg
for this and that, and usually are IN
| dulged beyond the ability OF the fono
mother to pay The dolls are bought
and taken home where they are put
away for the third, just as Americans
put away the toys they buy until
Christmas morning.
Finally comes the. great day The
holidays is second only to New Year
in Importance The family dons the
very best clothing in its wardrobe,
and the complicated ceremonial de-
mands Of the occasion are strictly ad-
hered to- The prettiest pictures and
the most priced trinkets are put on
display At last everything is ready
for the celebration
Dolls of Past and Present.
The dolls are brought out, the ones
the girls of the family have received on
other holidays and those of the moth
er and the grandmother and often OF
the Observation-Disclosures. All the dolls
are set out on a shelf. raised like an
altar or q dias, at the back of the room
farthest from the street door. In ev-
ery household, rich or poor, the place
of honor always is accorded to two
dolls dressed to represent the emperor
| and empress. If the family is weiltodo.
these imperial images will be dressed
| in the richest of clothing, and will be
attended by dozens Of dolls to repre-
sent the mobiles and women OF the ola
sacred court of Kyoto- Lower down.
and ranging away from the Imperial
images. are the other dolls. and, low
est of all. the new doll that has just
made its appearance in honor OF the
new birthday Of the youngest girl
Sometimes when the parents are very
poor. new dolls are made of old ones,
but there must be new doll
OFFER Gifts TO the Dolls.
All during the day the dolls sit on
their dais, and before them are placed
gifts and offerings of food and drink
Each doll has its own table and dish
es-tiny little stools Of lacquer with
little rice bowls. teapots. cups. plates
and trays In rich households these
doll dishes are veritable works of art
for which fabulous prices have been
paid.
And all day long the little girl whose
birthday anniversary it is sits before
the dolls on their dais and looks AT
them. Her mother stands by and tells
her of her sacred duty of loyalty to
the emperor and empress, and teaches
her the ceremony of the feast. Little
Japanese girls. no doubt. laugh and
chatter excitedly with the enjoyment
of the occasion, but they do not han
die the dolls Oh, no. To take the
emperor doll in her hands might inJure
the sacred image. and that must never
happen Only grownups may be. trust
ed to take the precious beauties in
their. hands They are for little girls
only to look at!
And when the festival is over the
dolls are all put away along with
their pretty clothes and their little ia
bles and dishes. not to be seen again
until the next March comes around.
Thus 1t happens in Japan that little
girls don't break their dolls playing
with them. little boys never cut up
their sisters dolls to find what the
"stuffin'" IS and the new doll the lit
tie girl gets today Will be handed
down to her t-great-grandchtldre
in the very clothes it wears today!
Is Strictly Family Affair.
This festival is strictly family az
fair. and is held so sacredly in rever-
ence that few foreigners ever are in
vited to see the little girls feasting
their eyes on their dolls. But one part
! of the festival is open to the world.
and that is the show in the streets or
the toy shops.
The toyshops and the doll shops
~ w M