The Iris Festival is a celebration not just of children but of what children represented: purity, promise, and hope for the future.
It was also known as Doll Festival, where girls showed their dolls, and the boys flied their kites. Originally only for girls it was also known as Kite Festival when male children joined in the festivities. The young girls wearing green kimonos arranged their dolls as if they were Imperial Courtiers, representing emperor, empress, attendants, and musicians on a tiered stand in their homes. Children of both genders received expensive gifts from their families, things they would need as adults, such as weapons or court kimonos.