Osechi Ryori For New Year 2009

I Wish you A Very Happy New Year 2009.

新年、明けましておめでとう御座います。 旧年は大変御世話になりました、本年も宜しくお願いします。m(_)m

Today is the 1st day of year 2009. Let’s talk about the Japanese Osechi-Ryori.

Osechi (御節) originally referred to a season or significant period. New Year’s Day was one of the five seasonal festivals (五節句 gosekku) in the Imperial Court in Kyoto. This custom of celebrating particular days was introduced from China into Japan. These days are called Jinjitsu (人日, January 7), Johshi　(上巳, March 3), Tango　(端午, May 5), Tanabata (七夕, July 7), and Choyo (重陽, September 9). Japanese celebrated these seasonal festivals (節句) with the special dishes ’Osechi’.

But, nowadays Osechi ryori is taken over as the special New Year cuisine eaten from January 1 through January 7 (Jinjitsu 人日). Osechi are easily recognizable by their special boxes called jūbako, which resemble bentō boxes. Like bentō boxes, jūbako are often kept stacked before and after use. The most common is a stack of three boxes.
The dishes that make up osechi each have a special meaning celebrating the New Year.
Some examples are:

• Daidai (橙), Japanese bitter orange. Daidai means “from generation to generation” when written in different kanji as 代々. Like kazunoko below, it symbolizes a wish for children in the New Year.

• Datemaki (伊達巻 or 伊達巻き), sweet rolled omelette mixed with fish paste or mashed shrimp. They symbolize a wish for many auspicious days. On auspicious days (晴れの日, hare-no-hi), Japanese people traditionally wore fine clothing as a part of enjoying themselves. One of the meanings associated with the second kanji includes “fashionability,” derived from the illustrious dress of the samurai from Date Han.

• Kamaboko (蒲鉾), broiled fish paste. Traditionally, slices of red and white kamaboko are alternated in rows or arranged in a pattern. The color and shape are reminiscent of the rising sun, and have a celebratory, festive meaning.

• Kazunoko (数の子), herring roe. Kazu means “number” and ko means “child”. It symbolizes a wish to be gifted with numerous children in the New Year.

• Konbu (昆布), a kind of seaweed. It is associated with the word yorokobu, meaning “joy”.

• Kuro-mame (黒豆), black soybeans. Mame also means “health,” symbolizing a wish for health in the New Year.

• Tai (鯛), red sea-bream. Tai is associated with the Japanese word medetai, symbolizing an auspicious event.

• Tazukuri (田作り), dried sardines cooked in soy sauce. The literal meaning of the kanji in tazukuri is “rice paddy maker”, as the fish were used historically to fertilize rice fields. The symbolism is of an abundant harvest.

• Zōni (雑煮), a soup of mochi rice cakes in clear broth (in eastern Japan) or miso broth (in western Japan).

Next Post: Tokyo Style New Year’s Rice Cake Soup

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