By Mitsue Finch Uchida
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(Please scroll down for the English)
いよいよ待ちに待った春到来！3月と言えば桜前線が日本中を駆け巡り気温も一気に上昇していきますが、ロンドンは何とも雨の多い日々、お変わりございませんでしょうか。
さて、以前からどうしてこの時期(3月3日)に女の子のお祭り「雛祭り」なのか？と。少し紐解くと、3月3日は五節句の一つ「上巳の節句」（じょうみのせっく）にあたり、この名称は中国由来の上巳（3月最初の巳の日）に行う行事が3月3日に固定され、桃の節句を指すようになったとのことです。色彩的にはピンクで何とも女の子の感じですね。そして雛飾りは「天皇の結婚式」を模したもので、主役として飾られる男女雛は天皇皇后両陛下を表し、天皇皇后のような幸せな結婚を願うという想いが込められていたようです。雛人形は人間の厄を引き受ける役割を持っており、お子さまの健やかな成長への願いを込めて飾られて、当日はちらし寿司やハマグリのお吸い物、ひなあられを食べ、桃の花を飾ってお祝いするのが一般的だったようですね。個人的には娘の生誕を祝い母から贈られた日本のマンションサイズ(一段目のみの男女雛と桜、橘、ぼんぼり等)の素敵なお雛様を飾っています。今でも覚えているのが7段のお雛様を飾っていた幼少の頃、箱から出したお雛様の鼻がネズミにかじられたり着物に穴が開いたりしていました。それも人形の形代（かたしろ）の素材は、木や紙や草が使われていたことからネズミのおやつになっていたようですね。さてここで、お雛様の7段の正しい並べ方に注目です：
- 最上段（1段目）: 男雛（向かって左）女雛（右）両脇に雪洞（ぼんぼり）、後ろに屏風。
- 2段目（三人官女）: 向かって右から座り、立ち、座り（又、右から立ち、立ち、座り）の順。
- 3段目（五人囃子）: 向かって右から扇、笛、小鼓、大鼓、太鼓の順。
- 4段目（随身・右大臣/左大臣）: 向かって左に若者、右に老人（大臣）。真ん中には桜と橘。
- 5段目（仕丁・衛士）: 真ん中に沓台、左に台笠、右に立傘を持つ人形を配置。
- 6・7段目（嫁入り道具）: 左から箪笥、長持、鏡台、針箱、火鉢、衣裳袋、茶道具の順。
そして2段目の三人官女の真ん中の官女だけ歯が黒い（お歯黒をしている）のは？何でもその人が「既婚者」であることを表し、江戸時代の風習では、既婚女性の証としてお歯黒をし、眉を剃る（引眉）のが一般的で、真ん中の官女はどうも年長でリーダー的な存在（お局様）とされているようですね。これでどうして一人だけがお歯黒なのかの謎が解けました。皆さまも日本の文化、伝統の行事にフォーカスして「不思議発見！」をしてはいかがでしょうか。
さてイギリスでは3月が「狭い春（narrow spring）」と呼ばれています。冬の余韻が残る一方で、春の兆しも感じられるこの時期は、寒さと暖かさ、晴れと雨がめまぐるしく入れ替わり、天気がとても不安定です。日中は穏やかでも夜は冷え込むことがあり、厚手のコートをしまうタイミングも難しい季節です。また「March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb」というイギリスのことわざをお聞きになったことがありますか？3月初めの荒々しい天候と、月末の穏やかさを対比して表現しています。この表現は、天候の変化に備える知恵として、長年にわたって人々の暮らしに根付いてきたようですね。そしてSummer timeは3月29日(日)から始まります。本当に諺通り、末には子羊ちゃんのように穏やかで気持ちの良い日々が来ることを願いたいですね。それでは、ステキな3月をお過ごしくださいませ。
アクセスアポイントメント一同より
＜３月のイベント紹介＞
＊二水会部３月講演
- 日時：３月11日(水) 午後8時~9時(UK時間)
- 講師：Ms Anna Dingley(アンナ・デイングリーさん) Ekiden Group Limited Founder/Director
- 演題：「駅伝の道のり、たすきを繋いで英国へ 」
- 参加費：英国日本人会員：無料、非会員：3ポンド オンライン（Zoom）
- 講演概要： 2024年は天皇皇后両陛下のご訪英がありましたが、それと同時期に駅伝を英国に伝え開催に媚びつけたアンナさんに登壇していただき、駅伝の道のりと、彼女の日本での体験や苦労話、そしてそれを支えたチームの皆さん、これまさに駅伝精神ですね。日本のお正月恒例の行事、文化でもあるこのEKIDENを英国でもたすきをかけて走るということの意義と感動についてお話していただきます~~ またいつものクイズとプレゼントもご用意して頂きました。こちらよりお申し込みください。（100名様まで）
＊オンラインマインドフルネスなヨガ（All Level） 日本人会ナルク部から
- 日時：３月24日(火) 午前11時~12時(UK時間)
- 講師：フィンチ内田みつえ 申し込みフォームは追って掲載いたします。
☆ Access Appointments for Japanese speaking recruitment ☆
Access Appointments Saijiki Blog for March（Yayoi）2026
By Mitsue Finch Uchida
The long-awaited arrival of spring has finally arrived! March brings with it the cherry blossom sweeping across Japan and rising temperatures, but London has been experiencing some unusually rainy days. Hope you’re all well.
I have been wondering why Hinamatsuri, a girls’ festival, always been celebrated at this time of year, March 3rd. The answer is, March 3rd is the “Jōmi no Sekku” (“Girls’ Festival”), one of the five seasonal festivals. The name apparently comes from the Chinese tradition of holding an event on Jōmi (the first day of the snake in March), which was fixed on March 3rd and later came to refer to the Girls’ Festival. The pink color scheme is very girly. The Hina dolls are modeled after the “Imperial Wedding,” with the main display featuring a boy and girl representing the Emperor and Empress, and are said to have been imbued with the wish for a happy marriage like theirs. Hina dolls are meant to take on the misfortunes of humans, and are displayed with the hope of children’s healthy growth. It seems that it was common to celebrate on the day by eating chirashi sushi, clam soup, and Hina arare (rice crackers), and decorating with peach blossoms. Personally, I display a beautiful Japanese apartment-sized Hina doll (only the first tier of a boy and girl doll, along with cherry blossoms, tangerines, and lanterns) that my mother gave me to celebrate my daughter’s birth. I still remember as a child displaying a seven-tiered Hina doll set. When I took the dolls out of the box, their noses were nibbled by mice and holes were made in their kimonos. Apparently, the dolls’ katashiro (sculpted forms) were made of wood, paper, and grass, making them snacks for the mice. Now, let’s take a look at the traditional way to arrange the seven tiers of Hina dolls:
- Top row (first row): A male doll (on the left) and a female doll (on the right) with lanterns on either side and a folding screen behind them.
- Second row (three court ladies): From right to left, they are seated, standing, sitting (or standing, standing, sitting again).
- Third row (five musicians): From right to left, they are fan, flute, small drum, large drum, and taiko drum.
- Fourth row (attendant/Minister of the Right/Minister of the Left): A young man on the left and an old man (Minister) on the right. In the middle are cherry blossoms and tangerines.
- Fifth row (servants/guards): A doll with a shoe stand is placed in the middle, a doll with a hat stand on the left, and a doll with a standing umbrella on the right.
- Sixth and seventh rows (domestic items): From left to right, they are chest of drawers, chest of drawers, dressing table, needle box, brazier, costume bag, and tea ceremony utensils.
And why is it that the middle lady of the three ladies-in-waiting on the second row is the only one with black teeth (blackened teeth)? Apparently, this indicates that the person is “married,” and in the Edo period, it was common for women to blacken their teeth and shave their eyebrows (hikimayu) as proof of being married, and it seems that the lady-in-waiting in the middle is considered to be the oldest and a leader (the lady-in-waiting). Now we have solved the mystery of why only one lady has blackened teeth. Why not try “discovering mysteries” of Japanese culture and traditional events?
In the UK, March is known as “narrow spring.” While the afterglow of winter lingers, signs of spring are also in sight. The weather is unpredictable, with rapid changes between cold and warm, sunshine and rain. Even with mild days, nights can be chilly, making it difficult to know when to put away your heavy coat. Have you ever heard the British proverb, “March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb?” It contrasts the stormy weather at the beginning of March with the calmness at the end of the month. This expression seems to have been ingrained in people’s lives for many years as wisdom for preparing for changing weather. Summer time begins on Sunday, March 29th, let’s hope that, as the proverb says, in the end, we’ll have days as calm and pleasant as a lamb. Hope you have a wonderful March!
<March Event information>
* Japan Association – March Nisuikai Lecture
- Date & Time: Wednesday, March 11th, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM (UK time)
- Speaker: Ms. Anna Dingley, Founder/Director of Ekiden Group Limited
- Topic: “The Journey of Ekiden: Passing the Sash to the UK”
- Participation Fee: Free for UK Japanese Members; £3 for Non-Members; Online (Zoom)
- Summary: The Emperor and Empress visited the UK in 2024. Anna, who introduced the ekiden to the UK and persuaded the organization to hold the event around the same time, will be speaking on stage to share her journey, her experiences and struggles in Japan, and the team members who supported her—the very essence of the ekiden spirit. She will discuss the significance and inspiration of running the ekiden, a traditional Japanese New Year’s event and culture, in the UK, while wearing the sash. There will also be the usual quiz and prize. Please register here (up to 100 people).
* Mindful Yoga – from the Japan Association Nalc Club
- Date and Time: Tuesday, March 24th, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM (UK time)
- Instructor: Mitsue Uchida Finch. The application form will be posted soon.
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