A Japanese New Year decoration. Made of mochi, topped with a tangerine.I've always spent New Year's Eve at home.
Hold on, it's less lame than you'd think. My family has always made a point to celebrate the incoming new year together, as it's one of the only times that we're able to be all together. So every New Year's Eve we hold a small party with close friends and make tons (and I mean
tons) of food. And it's all based in the tradition of Japanese New Year.
What does that entail? Well, a lot of delicious food. There's traditional smaller dishes - candied chestnuts, sweet small black beans, larger black beans, tiny fish seasoned in sweet soy sauce, and more. My dad always makes a bunch of sushi too. And we eat soba noodles at midnight.
Most of the symbolism of the food is pretty typical for celebrating the New Year - the more noodles you eat, the longer your lifespan, the more mochi, the better luck you'll have. Some of the main dishes that we have include ozoni:
It's mochi soup with veggies. We also eat kazunoko, which is herring roe. Essentially, it's fish eggs that are attached to a strip of seaweed.
Yokan, a sweet bean jelly treat.
Obviously we don't follow the tradition to minute detail, but we celebrate it in our own way and always have. And it's always more fun that way!
How do you celebrate New Year's Eve?
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Comments (10)
Usually by myself, and usually by starting my first book of the year.
yokan! omg, i should go get some...it looks good. my brain was only on mochi. thanks for reminding me!
This is going to be my New Year's Day tomorrow since we can't get together tonight. NOBODY should diss a Japanese New Year celebration =)
Looks SO delicious. Wish I could celebrate NYE at your place sometime! My family's Trinidadian, and while we don't have a lot of signature dishes for NYE, on CHRISTMAS Eve we always have special dishes like spicy curried goat, home-made ginger beer, home-made black (rum) cake, curried potato and chick peas together like a stew and freshly made dhalpouri roti, which is like flat-bread cooked with ground split peas inside. For people who don't eat too much spice, there's always freshly baked loaves of white bread and salty peameal bacon, browned and crispy! :)
Maybe one day I'll make a picture blog of all the yummy stuff we eat on Christmas Eve :)
@purpleranger - I hope it was a good read :)
@rabbitsarecool14@xanga - hehe no problem! Go go go!
@oOo_itsJuJu@xanga - Truth. Hope you had fun!
@Dark_Gem@xanga - Are you kidding, I wish I could go to your Christmas! All of that food sounds amazing.
looks delish!
Wow, that looks great! We spend every New Year's Eve with our best friends. Some years a lot of other people show up, some years it's a smaller group. Either way it's a lot of fun and also a lot of food!
@joshiro - My first book of the year is Alliance Forged, by Kylie Griffin. I would recommend it, but I would also recommend reading Vengeance Born (the first book in the series) first.
@purpleranger - Thanks! Just googled it - looks like a fun read. I've been meaning to start something new...maybe I'll read the first book :)
that's a huge mochi i see.