Hold it, you have it wrong, you might want to say. What have the Japanese got to do with Bommai Kolu, the festival of dolls, which is just round the corner?   Plenty, because they celebrate Hina-Matsuri which in many, many ways is similar to it.

The main difference lies perhaps in the date on which Hina –Matsuri is observed. It comes on the third day of the third month, which is March 3 rd. The rituals that follow though are very much like those observed by us.
In Japan, the festival is dedicated to young girls and is the occasion to pray for their health and happiness. The dolls are arranged on a five or seven tiered stand that is covered with a red carpet. The top step is occupied by the emperor and the empress, followed by ladies-in-waiting, musicians, guards and servants. Displayed also are miniature furniture, dishes, toys and other small items. It is believed that the display originated from a celebration in Kyoto Palace in 1687. Statues of the Emperor and Empress are given to a girl on her first Hina-Matsuri. They are gifted to her by her maternal grandmother. She is expected to preserve them carefully and pass them on to her daughters.

She may add to her collection of dolls. They could be hand-made ones made of scraps, but equally they could be custom made ones. The heirloom dolls take pride of place, however. Every display includes peach blossoms as they are a symbol of luck. The girls dress in kimonos and invite their friends. Candies and rice cakes are served.
Tradition though is adapting itself to new ways. Today there is very often no space in homes to store the dolls so they are donated to the city of Katsuura. Civic halls, libraries and street corners are used for displays. The Tomisaki Shrine which has 60 levels displays more than1500 dolls.

Interestingly all this is very similar to the way in which Navarathri is celebrated in the South of India. Known as Bommai Kolu (Dolls display) in Karnataka, Andhra and Tamil Nadu, it starts on Mahalaya Amavasya and is celebrated for 10 days. Here too a series of steps are set up and the most preferred number is seven. They are suitably covered, though often in white.

The place of honour at the top is given to the 'maraipachi', dolls made of special wood. They are bathed and decorated as the bride and the bridegroom. These dolls are given to the girls by her parents on her marriage. She starts adding to the dolls. Gods, goddesses from epics, musicians, drummers all find their place.

One may add to the number of dolls but not subtract any. Neighbours and friends are invited, in fact these ten days are open days when young girls are welcomed and sweets, kum-kum sweets and small gifts are given.

 This tradition has existed for at least 500 hundred years and has been traced to the reign of the Vijayanagar kings in the 16 th Century. It was most popular among the royal families of Thanjavur and Pudukottai.
The parallels, as you can see, are indeed amazing. It may well be that there are historical reasons, but they could also have come from the fact that it is human nature to take pleasure in creative work, in displaying it and in sharing it.