Hello! I am Madoka.
Thank you for coming on this page.
I am very happy to have this chance to inform you about Japan.
My English and sentences probably be wrong, please be fast and loose. ( ^v^)/
And I appreciate you for giving the opportunity of my English practice.
Today I will introduce on the New Yea Event in Japan,_ Eating “ Osechi “and “Ozouni”
The table of contents
1, What is “Osechi” and “Ozouni” ?
2, What do the each ingredients of “Osechi mean?
1, What is “Osechi” and “Ozouni” ?
“Osechi”
“ Osechi” is the dishes that is served the traditional food on New Year’s Day.
“Osechi” is specially prepared to be eaten during the first three days of January.
It is served in a set of layered lacquer boxes .
It looks like a big lunch box.
And the ingredients of “Osechi “have symbolic wishes.
“Ozouni“
“Ozouni” is the special soup for the New Year holidays.
The ingredients in” Ozouni” are usually rice cake,chiken,fish-paste cake slices and vegetables.
The taste is usually soy sauce or “Miso”.
Different districts /families has different style of “Ozouni”.
We celebrate the new year day with our family while eating “Osechi” and “Ozouni ” in the priod of the new year.
2, What do the each ingredients of “Osechi “mean?
“Osechi” has foods of good omen.
I introduce the meaning of several ingredients in “Osechi”
“Tazukuri”
: It is teriyaki small dried sardine. It is a wish for a rich harvest
Because sardines were used as fertilizer.
“Kazunoko”
:It is a Herring roe . It is a wish for prosperity of posterity
“Kobumaki”
: It is a rolled kelps and eaten to pray for happiness .
Because of its similarity in pronunciation to the word “Yorokobu(=happiness)”.
“Kuromame”
: It is a sweet black bean.
“ Mame” means a bean in English. “Kuro” mean black in English.
“Mame” is same pronunciation of diligent or methodical in Japanese.
This contains a wish for being a diligent person which make money.
“Kuro” is a metaphor to work hard until getting a tan.
“Gobou”
: It is aBurduck root : It is a wish for stable prosperity.
Because it is very long root to bring stability in the field.
“Datemaki”
: It is a sweet omlet.
It looks a rolled book. So it is a wish for getting a lot of knowledge.
I cannot introduce all because there are too much.
Please find that Japanese eat “Osechi” with wishes.
Thank you for reading until the end.
Have a good day !
Madoka
