CAMP ZAMA, Japan (March 6, 2014) -- Children from the Camp Zama and Sagamihara Family Housing Area Child Development Centers visited Hosen Kindergarten, a nearby Japanese school, March 3 to celebrate "Friendship Day" and learn about the traditional Japanese "hina" doll.
The children began by singing songs with the kindergarteners before watching a short film that explained the significance of the hina doll, or "hinamatsuri."
Friendship Day, commonly known as "Girl's Day" or "Doll's Day" in Japan, is celebrated each year on March 3 with festivals and by displaying the hina dolls on decorative platforms in the home.
The film explained that hina dolls are said to take away bad spirits by floating them down a river.
The dolls represent taking those bad spirits out to sea.
The Camp Zama and SFHA children then had lunch with the Hosen students after watching the film.
The kindergarteners then presented their visitors with parting gifts of snacks and their own paper hina dolls.
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