Osechi is a Japanese traditional New Year's feast. Many families prepare (or buy) osechi before the New Year, and will start eating it on the New Year's morning from breakfast. In America, I felt Christmas was more important than the New Year, but in Japan, it's the opposite. Osechi is also for mothers who had always prepared meals for the family everyday. New Year is a period of time when all the tired mothers get away from making meals and also from the housework. We usually keep eating osechi for 3 days from breakfast to dinner. So mothers prepare osechi a lot. What I'm really impressed with osechi is that every each dishes has a meaning to it. It will take forever for me to describe each one of them, so if you are interested, please take a peek at this website. It will give you the examples. By the way, my most favorite dish is the Kuri Kinton, which is sweetened and mashed Japanese sweet potatoes with sweet chestnut. I only eat the sweet potatoes part though, because I don't really like the chestnuts. This year I made the Kuri Kinton by myself for the first time, and it was able to eat but not good. I wish I hadn't made it and just let my mother make it as always.
There are many more traditional Japanese New Year's event, but I will just tell you two more. One is Hatsumode, you go to the shrine on the New Year and make wishes :)
The second one is the most exciting event for children, Otoshidama. At this event, adults present money to children. The thing is, if you have many relatives, you will get more money. You usually get otoshidama when all of your families gather to celebrate the New Years. I always didn't have relatives near where I lived, so that naturally made my otoshidama less. Only from my parents mostly. I remember I was really jealous to one of my friends because she got so many money in total because of her many gathered relatives.
Actually, I'm not sure what I have told you above is exactly true.
But I can tell you this, New Year is the most important and popular event in Japan!
So I was really depressed when I heard that school starts from the second of January :(
Anyway, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
http://norecipes.com/blog/osechi-ryori-japanese-new-years-food/
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ReplyDeleteYou just gave me an idea! For next New Year I'm going to ask all of my relatives to try something new, Otoshidama! ;)
ReplyDeleteThat's really impressive how you celebrate New Years. I will love to go to Japan for New Years and try your fantastic tradition. Otoshidama it does sounds really exciting. I really like your culture. In the future I will go to Japan.
ReplyDeleteEven though you didn't do what you were suppose to do but still you did great job. I really like how you guys celebrate your New Years.
ReplyDeleteWhoa, that's a lot a food in one plate! Is it all for one person? :D Anyways I found really interesting how you guys eat osechi three times from breakfast to diner. Good job Keeyu!
ReplyDeleteIt can be for one person :) There are many variable sizes for osechi ;)
DeleteKeeyu, nice to get to know you and having you in our ESL family this year. You are SMART girl. I love every blog you wrote, they are GREAT.
ReplyDeleteI hope you can keep it going in the next semester. I will go to try osechi someday in my life, it look GOOD and I bet it going to taste YUMMY. Would you like to do write about your reflection in this semester? I would love to see how you doing in high.
Thanks for sharing so much about Japanese culture and your New Year celebration. The food looks absolutely delicious!
ReplyDeleteKeeyu-
ReplyDeleteThat is great information. I did know that Japanese New Year was very important but I did not know all the history that is behind it. Thanks for a good read.
I've learned a lot about this reflection and i think it was great how you described about your culture and new years.
ReplyDeleteI learned more about the Japanese culture reading this. We have something similar Keeyu. Also in Ecuador New Years is more important. I have learned that many different cultures can have something in common even though they are really far from each other.
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