'Hina-matsuri' (the Doll's Festival) is considered to have originated in 'Hina-asobi' (literally, 'playing with hina dolls') during the Heian period where children of nobility in Kyoto used to play with models of the imperial palace and decorations.
「雛まつり」の起源は京の貴族階級の子女が、天皇の御所を模した御殿や飾り付けで遊んだ平安時代の「雛あそび」が始まりとされている。