Hinamatsuri at the Kindergarten

Hey everybody! I just wanted to share with you some pictures from my wonderful day today! Today was the official Hinamatsuri Day. Our local kindergarten, where I teach once a month with our friend Mark, had a special event today. To celebrate Hinamatsuri they held a Tea Ceremony for the children. Mark and I were invited to attend and as a special treat the teachers dressed me in a kimono. It was my first time to wear one. It really was a wonderful experience, one I will never forget. The teachers who dressed me were so kind, I really felt like a doll being dressed up!

Along with being dressed up I was also able to learn how to serve the tea during the ceremony, mind you it was done with kindergarteners so luckily I didn't feel to worried if I messed up. The woman who was teaching the kids and I was our town mayor's wife. She is a really kind and very talented woman. The kids were so cute and even the youngest children (2-3 years old) were allowed to participate.

While we were waiting to serve tea some of the girls and I sang the hinamatsuri song together and many of the little girls commented how Japanese I looked! It was so cute. I felt so honored to be able to learn with the children and to then share in drinking tea together. It was a wonderful day!

Finally here is a picture of the lunch we had. I never cease to be amazed at the work that goes into preparing food here...even for kindergarteners! It was delicious!
I hope you all enjoyed the pics and remember if you double click them you can see them full size! Many thanks to Mark for taking most of the pictures!