Company of Women

Last month when I was in Japan, I witnessed a unique event unfolding in our hotel lobby. From breakfast time through to happy hour, a group of neatly dressed Japanese ladies spent the day setting up this display. Each wearing freshly starched cotton smocks over their clothes, they cautiously unwrapped each figurine, discussed it amongst themselves, carefully positioned the piece and then stood back to admire the collection at each stage of its unfolding.

The whole process took most of the day and it was done with such pride and reverence it was fascinating to watch. I was most intrigued to find out what they were doing as I could not see any similarities in the women. They ranged in ages, they were all neatly dressed but each with their own fashion sense and apart from the common smocks I could not work out the connection.

What I discovered was it was about “Hinamatsuri” – a celebration day for girls where each Japanese family prepare these dolls for their daughters, and in the scene from this photo it shows a couple marrying. By decorating these dolls there is a wish for the girls to grow quickly and have a prosperous future. The day is celebrated nationwide on March 3rd.

The display is beautiful and the process of these women coming together to share their stories as they created their presentation was equally as beautiful. It reminded me of the importance of International Women’s Day (8th March) and the sharing of past and present stories as a reminder. I remember telling my children about their Granma having to quit her job when she got married. “What’s working got to do with getting married” they cried in outrage. They look at Granma in a new light knowing she rebelled by simply not telling anyone at her work that she was getting married and continued to work for several years after the wedding!

Sharing stories from our family and culture helps us all understand and appreciate our past so that we can shape a better future.

Happy International Women’s Day.