Day of the dolls

About 1,800 dolls are lined up on 60 stone steps at Tomisaki Shrine in Katsuura, Chiba Prefecture, as part of the Katsuura Big Doll Festival, to celebrate Hina Matsuri. Each year on March 3, Hina Matsuri (雛祭り) is celebrated to pray for young girls’ growth and happiness. Families with daughters usually arrange hina-ningyo dolls in traditional Heian court attire on a five or seven-tiered platform covered with a red carpet (hina dan 雛壇). The dolls will be displayed until March 3.

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