Raintree 3 The Festival of Dolls

 Summary: The Festival of Dolls

This text talks about a part of an Indian festival and a Japanese festival and how

they are similar to each other. Reema’s and Hiyori’s fathers are friends. Hiyori

is visiting India for the first time. Reema is very excited about the Navratri

festival that starts the next day, especially about the Bommai-Kolu. She begins

to explain to Hiyori about it. She says it is a tradition where dolls are arranged

on a set of nine steps during the Navratri festival. Hiyori is pleasantly surprised

to learn about the Bommai-Kolu. She tells Reema that they have a similar

tradition in Japan where, on March 3, every year, dolls are arranged on a set of

five or seven steps. Reema is eager to know more. Hiyori is happy to tell

Reema that the festival is called the Hina Matsuri or Dolls’ Day. Reema and

Hiyori discuss details of each festival. They soon discover that there are many

similarities and between the festivals with just a few differences. Reema tells

Hiyori about her favourite part of the Bommai-Kolu, the park and other items

displayed on the floor. Hiyori tells Reema that Hina Matsuri is a special day for

the women and girls of a family and that they enjoy all the special dishes made

of rice. Hiyori is excited about the festival and decides to take photographs to

share with her friends back home in Japan. Reema remarks with wonder that

people of all countries, however far off they might be from each other, have

something common between them.

Reema’s observation is one of the main ideas of the text. Our languages, cities

and customs appear to be different. But everyone in this world is connected to

each other in some way or another. 

UNIT 4: THE FESTIVAL OF DOLLS

Warm Up

1. Deepavali 2. Christmas 3. Holi 4. Eid al-Fitr

Embedded Questions

● Bommai-Kolu

● HINA MATSURI

● For good luck (Suggested answers – Accept any logical answer)

● They might break or become damaged

● Bangles, bracelets, finger rings, lucky charms, a small plastic doll, a toy car (Answers vary)

● In January, during the Harvest Festival, Sankranti

Comprehension

A. 1. NT 2. NT 3. T 4. NT 5. NT

B. 1. a. Bommai-Kolu is displayed every year during the Navratri festival, which falls in the months of

September-October

 Hina Matsuri is celebrated on March 3 every year.

 b. Bommai-Kolu is displayed for nine days. The Hina Matsuri dolls are displayed for just a day.

 c. A collection of dolls are displayed during both these festivals. The dolls are displayed on seven

steps in both these festivals. Sometimes there are nine steps in the Bommai-Kolu.

 d. In the Bommai-Kolu, the dolls of gods and goddesses are placed on top. In Hina Matsuri the

dolls of Kings and Queens are displayed on top.

 e. In both these festivals women and girls of the family are given importance.

2. Reema says it is her job to take care of the floor arrangements. She makes models of royal courts,

towns, with market places, police stations and playgrounds. She says this year, she has a new park

set. She will use sprouts from mustard seeds to make a lawn.

3. During the Hina Matsuri festival, the dolls of the emperor and the empress are placed on top. The

other members of the royal court, including the ladies-in-waiting, the guardsmen, officials and

musicians stand a little below. They are all dressed in beautiful clothes.

C. 1. The similarity between Hina Matsuri and Navrati is wonderful. Though countries and people look

different from one another, there is something similar and common between all of us.

2. Suggested answers (Accept any logical answer)

 Jewellery; furniture; pictures/idols of gods etc.

 Not just things, a lot of other thoughts and ideas can also be passed on from one generation to

the other. For example, good behaviour, good values, good manners and so on.

D. Free response

Grammar

A. 2. his 3. ours 4. hers 5. theirs

B. 1. yours 2. Mine 3. theirs 4. hers 5. his

C. 2. their 3. his 4. your 5. her

D. 2. their – c 3. her – a 4. its – f 5. my – b 6. our – d

Vocabulary

2. week 3. Dear 4. ear 5. bee 6. heel

Writing

Chennai

20 March, 2017

Dear Mr and Ms Ito,

 Hope you and Hiyori are fine. We reached India yesterday. I want to thank you for inviting me over for

the Hina Matsuri festival. I have never seen anything like this before. It was a wonderful experience

for me. The dolls were very pretty and the display was very beautiful. I also enjoyed the snacks and

sweets very much. I loved the colourful rice cakes. It was nice meeting Hiyori and her friends. I am

happy to have made new friends.

 Thank you for allowing me to take photographs of the Hina Matsuri display. I will show it to my

friends in India. My love to Hiyori.

With love,

Deepika

Dictionary Work

(Suggested answers. Accept any logical answer.)

1. rare: I watched a programme about a rare bird yesterday on TV.

2. eager: Pramod is always eager to help his friends.

3. display: The shop has a beautiful display of earrings in its window.

4. royal: The royal elephant stood in front of the palace.

5. victory: We celebrated our team’s victory in the basketball match.

Listening

Listening text

Deepak: Hi Suraj! You did not come to play yesterday. Where were you?

Suraj: We had been to the new nature park yesterday.

Deepak: That’s great! Did you like it?

Suraj: Yes … it’s very beautiful and huge. As soon as you enter, there is a large garden with pretty

flowers.

Deepak: Is there any place to play?

Suraj: Yes, there is plenty of place to run around and play. There is a play-area near the garden

with swings, seesaws, slides and other playthings.

Deepak: What else is there?

Suraj: There are different kinds of trees. Then there is a tiny lotus-pond with ducks and geese

swimming in it.

Deepak: Pond? I heard there is a lake there.

Suraj: Oh yes, I forgot to tell you. Yes, there is a lake and you can go boating if you want to. My

mother and brother went boating. I was too scared. My father and I had ice-cream while we

waited.

Answer: 1. a 2. b 3. c 4. a 5. b 6. a

Speaking

 There is a tall Christmas tree in one corner of the room. It has beautiful red and green decorations and

other colourful trinkets. There are five gifts placed under the tree. There is a big golden star on top of

the tree. On the other end of the room, there is big and comfortable-looking chair. There is a tall white

lamp next to it. The room has a nice window. It is snowing outside. 

THE FESTIVAL OF DOLLS

A. Answer in brief.

1. Who is Hiyori and who is she visiting?

 Ans: Hiyori is a young girl from Tokyo, Japan and she is visiting Reema in Chennai. Her father and

Reema’s father are friends.

2. Where is Kolu tradition followed in India?

 Ans: Kolu is followed in many places in south India. In Tamil Nadu, it is called Bommai Kolu. In

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, it is called Bommala-Koluvu and is displayed during the Harvest

Festival, Sankranti in January.

3. Why is the Japanese festival Hina Matsuri or Doll’s day celebrated?

 Ans: Hina Matsuri is celebrated to wish good health and happiness for girls and to thank the

women of the family. On this day, the women relax, enjoying all the specially prepared delicacies.

B. Answer in detail

1. How are Kolu steps set up and what are displayed on them?

 Ans: Normally seven or nine steps are set up for Kolu. The steps are generally covered with a white

cloth. Then different dolls are arranged on them, according to their sizes. The dolls of gods and

goddesses are always placed on the top step. Dolls of mythological characters are also displayed.

2. How is Navratri celebrated and what did Reena eagerly wait for, as a child?

 Ans: During Navratri, nine young girls from the neighbourhood are invited as special guests and

offered food and gifts like bangles and trinkets. Reena would always wait eagerly for these gifts

when she was a baby.

C. Read the lines and answer the questions.

1. “I am so happy to see you, Hiyori. We’ll have fun! The Dusshera festival— Navaratri starts tomorrow.”

 a. Who was happy to see whom?

 b. What did they plan to celebrate together?

 c. Where was Hiyori from?

 Ans: a. Reema was happy to see Hiyori.

 b. They planned to celebrate Dusshera festival together.

 c. Hiyori was from Tokyo, Japan.

2. “I am so excited. I shall click many photos to show my friends in Japan.”

 a. Who was very excited and why?

 b. What was she planning to do and why?

 c. Which two festivals have something in common between them?

 Ans: a. Hiyori was very excited as she was going to celebrate Dusshera festival with Reema.

 b. She was planning to click many photos to show her friends in Japan.

 c. Dusshera and Navaratri celebrated in India have some things in common with Hina

Matsuri or Dolls’ Day celebrated in Japan.