New Year celebrations are full of meanings here. Everything has significance - even the food we eat. On New Year's Day we eat osechi, a meal comprised of many, many small dishes with each dish having meaning behind it. We ordered our osechi, because we didn't feel up to the task of making 34 (more or less) separate dishes. Instead, we made (and purchased) a couple sides that we love to compliment the meal.
When you eat osechi, you are supposed to have at least 1 bite of each small dish so you receive the full benefits of the meal. In addition, you take one bite of each item and share it with your ancestors by putting it on a special plate for them. We made sure to do that!
Below I have tried to outline the meaning of some of the items.
Ebi, Shrimp = symbol of longevity as well as renewing life
Surume, cuttlefish (bottom left) = symbol of celebration
Kazunoko, herring roe (light yellow in center) = wish for an abundant harvest and fertility
Subasu or Surenkon, lotus root (pink in upper left) = an unobstructed view of the future
Datemaki, sweet rolled omelet (center left) = scholarship and culture
Konbu Maki, dried herring wrapped in seaweed (bottom left) = scholarship and culture
Gobou, burdock root (bottom right, white sticks) = a wish for good health and an abundant harvest
Kuri kinton, mashed sweet potatoes and chestnuts (top middle) = economic fortune in the new year
Kuromame, black soy beans (bottom middle) = good health for the coming year
Tazukuri, dried anchovies = a bountiful harvest
Kouhaku namasu, pickled daikon and carrots = a good omen. My husband makes a large amount of this delicious vinegared dish because we love it!
Kouhaku kamaboko, Japanese fishcake = representing the first sunrise of the new year, red is a talisman against evil and white signifies purity
Yakizakana, grilled fish = prayer for a successful career. We purchased red snapper, which is reserved for special meals.
Since we love Datemaki, sweet rolled omelet, my husband makes some from scratch.
We enjoyed the gold leaf sake with our osechi.
Last, but not least, my husband made ozoni. Each household makes a different variation of this soup based on where their family is from and preferences. My husband is from Osaka, so he makes a Kansai version with white miso, round vegetables (red carrot, daikon, and satoimo), and grilled tofu. There is a lot of significance for the round vegetables: completeness, harmony, integrity, peace, perfection, satisfaction, and smoothness. The round vegetables are taken very seriously. After the soup is cooked, he warms up round mochi which become a molten sticky glob in the soup. We carefully eat the mochi, as people die every year from choking on it! But it tastes so good!!!
Throughout the meal, there is a red (pink) and white theme. These are celebratory colors in Japan.
It took us 3 meals to finish all this food - breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But it was a fun way to ring in the new year.
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