Regional/Cultural Day
Hinamatsuri
Families with daughters display a set of hina dolls on a tiered platform covered in red cloth. The dolls represent the emperor, empress, attendants, and musicians of the Heian court, and the set can cost thousands of dollars. The display is put up in February and taken down immediately after March 3rd, because the superstition says that leaving the dolls out too long will delay the daughter's marriage. The food is chirashizushi (scattered sushi), hishimochi (diamond-shaped rice cakes), and shirozake (sweet sake).
