THE FEAST OF DOLLS.
The Feast of Dolls is the happiest day in the year for the little girls in Japan. It is the third day of March.
The night before, while the little girls are asleep, great boxes of dolls are taken from the store-room.
There are all kinds,—large dolls, small dolls, girl dolls, and boy dolls.
The mothers and grandmothers of the little girls played with some of these. Others are very much older.
On the day of the Feast of Dolls, the little girls wake up early and run to the feast room.
Each doll must be dressed. This takes a long time, for some of the little girls have a great many dolls.
By this time the feast is ready. The dolls cannot eat the rice cakes and drink the tea, so their little mothers do this for them.
When the long, happy day is over, the dolls are undressed. Then they are put away until the Feast of Dolls comes again.