Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu!

Honnen mo douzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu.



Or roughly translated, "Happy New Year! I hope for your continued favour this year" in Japanese. It's the typical greeting you give to everyone you meet in the new year.


I thought I'd share some Japanese New Years traditions that are observed, as New Years is the big holiday that is celebrated by everyone. It's usually this time of year that I feel a yearning to be back in Japan to celebrate the holidays. However, I will share with you some traditions observed during New Years.

Joya no Kane (midnight tolling of temple bells)

On New Year's Eve, all the temples in Japan begin the tolling of the temple bells, as Buddhist beliefs state man has 108 worldly desires and the tolls of the bells drives them out.

Every year, my parents bust out the giganto mochi maker on the 30th to make mochi in preparation of the new year. Amongst the various kinds that they make, the one that is decoratively displayed in ones home is the kagami mochi (as in the photo pictured at the top of this post), which is basically two rice cakes stacked on top of each other, with an orange with a leaf attached on top (and traditionally with a sheet of konbu and dried persimmon between the two mochi cakes). Mine is simpler, but it does the job.


It is also the time of year when major cleaning takes place. It's the equivalent of spring cleaning I suppose, but it's mostly for spiritual cleansing, so that one can have a fresh start for the new year. Bear and I spent the weekend picking up around the home, taking out the tree and putting away the holiday decorations.

Osechi ryori (traditional Japanese New Years food)

Because the new years is to be a relaxed holiday to enjoy with family, cooking preparations are also done on New Year's Eve (omisoka) so as to not have to cook on New Year's day. Osechi ryori (New Year's food) is prepared and stacked in jubako (stackable lacquered boxes) with food that cannot spoil easily so that one can feast without having to cook for the first 3 days. I purchased and also prepared some of the traditional new years' foods because I have to eat Japanese food on New Year's Day. Most of the foods you eat have meaning to bring luck, or has a play on words that mean luck or good fortune or long life.



In the photo above, to the left I have both seaweed (konbu), which symbolizes happiness, the kuromame (black beans) symbolizes a healthy life, the yellow sweet egg roll, which symbolizes the progress of knowledge, and the pink and white kamaboko (fish cake) with its colour and shape, symbolizes the rising sun. You can't see it in the photo, but the fish cake when sliced, has a matsu (pine) shape in the middle, which is also an auspicious symbol.

And the last photo has some renkon (lotus root), kimpira gobo (a slightly spicy carrot/burdock root) mixture I made the other night. Gobo (burdock root) is eaten during the new year, to symbolize a long, healthy life. And lastly, I threw in some gobo tempura (fried fish cake with burdock root) in for good measure, and just because I like to eat them :)

We also eat ozoni (new year's soup with mochi), but no pictures as I haven't made it yet.

Here's to a great 2008!!!