Japanese Doll & Cultural Festival (HinaMatsuri)
March 5-6, 2016
11:30am-4pm
Cost: Free Admission
Simpson United Methodist Church, 6001 Wolff St, Arvada, Co 80003
The annual Japanese Doll & Cultural Festival will beheld on March 5-6, 2016. This is a free event for all ages to experience the Japanese culture.
This festival combines two Japanese celebrations, HinaMatsuri (Girl’s Day) and Kodomo no Hi (Children’s Day). HinaMatsuriis celebrated annually in Japan in March. Families with daughters display their dolls (hinaningyo) in their house for a few weeks before the festival. The set of dolls traditionally consist of the emperor, empress, and their court on a tiered display. Children’s Day is celebrated in May in Japan and is a national holiday that celebrates the happiness of all children.
The festival will have many exhibitions, including Japanese dolls (for boys and girls), Ikebana (flower arrangement), Bonsai, Kimonos, Shodo (calligraphy), and the tea ceremony. There are live performances throughout the day where you can enjoy Japanese dance and music with musical instruments including Taiko (drums), koto, shamisen, violin, shakuhachi, and ukulele. You can also see various types of martial arts including judo, karate, kendo, and aikido. You can enjoy other arts and crafts and even try your hand at origami (paper folding).
This celebration began 48 years ago at Simpson UMC as a way share the congregation’s Japanese culture with the rest of the Denver community. It was started by former pastor Jonathan Fujita who came to the U.S. from Japan after WWII. Mary Nishiyama, who just turned 88, has been an organizer of the festival for the past 48 years. Her desire and determination has kept this tradition going so that future generations can learn about the Japanese culture and traditions and experience them first hand.
It takes a village to put on this event as community members lend their own dolls, which have been handed down from generation to generation, so that others can enjoy them. If you have a kimono or happi coat, this is a perfect opportunity to put it on, gather your friends and family and come enjoy the event. It’s like taking a trip to Japan without ever leaving Denver.
Contacts:
Simpson UMC – 303-428-7963
Kazuko Dishong – 303-234-0555
Mary Nishiyama–303-433-1638
Email: