Traditional New Years Omochi
This is what the plastic packages of Omochi that sit on supermarket shelves are supposed to look like.
What you see is a small timber pedestal with two round omochi cakes on top. If you look closely, you can see the outside is drying out and cracking as it loses moisture faster than the inside. Eventually (by 1st January) it will be thoroughly dried and hard.
It is then broken (smashed) and pieces are eaten. This is supposed to bring good times during the new year, but I am a bit hazy on the details. At this stage, pedestals like these are all set up neatly in rows at local shrines.
They make a wonderful spectacle, all lined up like this. None stand out, but they all look perfect. I love the simplicity of this ritual. And very seasonal too. There aren’t too many times in a Japanese year when it could all dry out without mould or cracking to pieces.
Tags: Japanese, TraditionsRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Japanese, Traditions
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