Navaratri Golu In United States 1st Time Need Advice

I will go this weekend. I saw soft baby dolls in dollar store here in Atlanta. Sure I will upload my golu dolls.

 

Tradition is to have a hierarchy of dolls from the top to the bottom. Powerful gods go on top, farm animals and birds come down on the bottom. Dollar store plush toys would have to find their appropriate shelf.

 

Check out Ross, Home Goods or Marshall's. They sometimes carry Ganesha or dolls like that. The attached doll, I bought at Ross for $5.99!!

 

prefabricated collapsible or assemblable steps heard available in new Jersey and Houston. yellow pages would help. I thought your "where is my Mr right ...." would be a short one and opened but it is voluminous for my age to concentrate read and remember the characters. But I think when you posted in a serial in IL it would have received great welcome and helped you to enlarge your virtual (or otherwise) pal circle. god Bless you. Regards.

 

Can someone please explain the significance of this golu ? What do the dolls represent? I am quite fascinated by golu decorations but would like to know what's the story behind this practise ?

 

I shall let someone describe where this practice started in India.
Homes in Bali, Indonesia as well as Hindus in other asian countries have this custom of women/girls celebrating an event with dolls-display. Japanese do it in March first week. Girls of elementary school age, invite their friends, and schoolmates to come home, have snacks and tea, and sing songs. There are usually the mother and a few of her friends present to help the children. They are usually there to coax the shy ones to sing and have a good time. The little girl hosting the hina-doll display would wear a kimono, while the schoolmates would come in their school uniforms. The tiffin items are usually bought from stores, which sell special boxes of cookies, and savories for that week.

Doll's Day: A Brief History of Japan's Hinamatsuri
"On the Hinamatsuri, dolls representing the Heian Imperial Court are arranged on a carpeted platform in a precise order. The Emperor and Empress sit at the top, with female attendants, musicians, advisors and samurai on the lower tiers. Spaces are left on the platform (hinadan) for traditional offerings like colorful arare (rice crackers), sake and hishi mochi. Hishi mochi are multilayered glutinous rice cakes, often sliced into diamond shapes before serving. Other foods people like to enjoy on this day are clams, which represent chastity, and chirashizushi (scattered sushi).

Setting out the hina dolls is good luck, but only families with young daughters need to observe this day. The hinadan and dolls are left up for around one month, starting in early February. Leaving them up past March 4th, the day after the festival, could hurt the daughter’s marriage prospects."
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In modern Japan, college girls would sometimes introduce their bff roommates to their brothers. I wonder if the bff's are formed during the dolls festival, and eventually serves to better the marriage prospects ? Going around to visit a few Golu events of friends could be like "coming out into society", as a marriage prospect ?

 

We have a pair of shadow puppets (Rama and Sita) bought in a store in Bali. They look like (the pic is from the web):

A small lamp (Ikea) illuminates the dolls at night. The doll's hands are movable at the joints using the two sticks, shadows are cast on a screen, while the story teller goes on about what is happening. Many of these puppets are used in the local Golu events. After the event (about two weeks long, I remember) these dolls can be packed flat in boxes. Very convenient.