“Since God is in her midst, she will not be shaken, God will help her at the break of dawn.”

Psalm 46:5

Happy International Women’s Day everyone! I hope you are celebrating important women in your lives and taking note of powerful women throughout history. In the meantime, it was also Girls Day last week, so it is perfect timing to also take note of this Japanese holiday. I was so glad that Christine Umeda spoke about this in our church service yesterday. Here’s a summation of what I learned:

Girl’s Day is not a national holiday, but an informal one that is a couple hundred years old. It always happens in March because that is when the cherry blossoms come out and it is a time to honor the girls and wish only good memories for them. Christine told me that there are a number of elements that are important for Girl’s Day. For instance, you are to put out an elaborate display of dolls. It is a platform covered in red material with dolls that represent the emperor and empress. Then you also include your personal dolls that you appreciate as well. Christine said that her daughter liked raggedy ann and even her grandkids put their own dolls on the display.

Christine also shared that when one washes a daughter’s kimono, you take out all of the stitching before you wash all of the material. The mother will roll the thread and make it into a ball. As she does so, she makes wishes for her happiness and makes wishes for a happy marriage.

And the most important element of all for Girl’s Day is sakura mochi. This is a sweet confection that includes a cherry tree leaf. There was some debate in my coffee hour small group yesterday if you eat the leaf or not and it has been confirmed…you eat the leaf as well! If any of you missed out on the sakura mochi this time around, I have been told that our local manju shop will have some for sale this Saturday. With all of this being said, Girl’s Day is a way for the community to remember and honor their children – especially their girls who grow up to be women. Happy Girl’s Day and International Women’s Day everyone!