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Nengajo
The is an annual festival with its own customs. Since 1873, the official Japanese New Year has been celebrated according to the Gregorian calendar, on January 1 of each year, . However, some traditional events of the Japanese New Year are partially celebrated on the first day of the year on the modern Tenpō calendar, the last official lunisolar calendar which was used until 1872 in Japan. History Prior to the Meiji period, the date of the Japanese New Year had been based on Japanese versions of lunisolar calendar (the last of which was the Tenpō calendar) and, prior to Jōkyō calendar, the Chinese version. However, in 1873, five years after the Meiji Restoration, Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar and the first day of January became the official and cultural New Year's Day in Japan. Traditional food The Japanese eat a selection of dishes during the New Year celebration called , typically shortened to ''osechi.'' Many of these dishes are sweet, sour, or dried, so th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kadomatsu
are traditional Japanese decorations made for the New Year's. They are a type of '' yorishiro'', or objects intended to welcome ancestral spirits or ''kami'' of the harvest. ''Kadomatsu'' are usually placed in pairs in front of homes and buildings. Construction and placement Historically, ''kadomatsu'' was often made with pine wood, but these days bamboo is more common. The central portion of the ''kadomatsu'' is formed from three large bamboos, though plastic ''kadomatsu'' are available. After binding all the elements of the ''kadomatsu'', it is bound with a straw mat and newly woven straw rope. ''Kadomatsu'' are placed in pairs on either side of the gate, representing male and female. Usage In modern times, ''kadomatsu'' are placed after Christmas until January 7 (or January 15 during the Edo period) and are considered temporary housing (''shintai'') for ''kami''. Designs for ''kadomatsu'' vary depending on region but are typically made of pine, bamboo, and sometimes um ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mochigome
Glutinous rice (''Oryza sativa var. glutinosa''; also called sticky rice, sweet rice or waxy rice) is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia, and the northeastern regions of South Asia, which has opaque grains, very low amylose content, and is especially sticky when cooked. It is widely consumed across Asia. It is called glutinous ( la, glūtinōsus) in the sense of being glue-like or sticky, and not in the sense of containing gluten (which it does not). While often called ''sticky rice'', it differs from non-glutinous strains of japonica rice which also become sticky to some degree when cooked. There are numerous cultivars of glutinous rice, which include ''japonica'', ''indica'' and ''tropical japonica'' strains. History In China, glutinous rice has been grown for at least 2,000 years. However, researchers believe that glutinous rice distribution appears to have been culturally influenced and closely associated with the early southward migration and distribu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mochi (food)
is a Japanese rice cake made of , a short-grain japonica glutinous rice, and sometimes other ingredients such as water, sugar, and cornstarch. The rice is pounded into paste and molded into the desired shape. In Japan, it is traditionally made in a ceremony called . While eaten year-round, mochi is a traditional food for the Japanese New Year, and is commonly sold and eaten during that time. Mochi is a multicomponent food consisting of polysaccharides, lipids, protein, and water. Mochi has a heterogeneous structure of amylopectin gel, starch grains, and air bubbles. The rice used for mochi has a negligible amylose content and a high amylopectin level, producing a gel-like consistency. The protein content of the japonica rice used to make mochi is higher than that of standard short-grain rice. Mochi is similar to , but is made by pounding grains of rice, while dango is made with rice flour. History The process of steaming glutinous rice and making it into a paste is consid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kagamimochi Gorgeous Version
is a traditional Japanese New Year decoration. It usually consists of two round mochi (rice cakes),Kagami mochi FAQ from Tokyo Gas dictionary. Various Japanese dictionaries, including the , testify that the kagami mochi has two layers of mochi. Three or more layers is not mentioned. the smaller placed atop the larger, and a (a Japanese |
Jinjitsu
''Jinjitsu'' (, "Human Day") is one of the five seasonal festivals ( ''gosekku'') that were integrated into the Japanese Imperial calendar over 1,000 years ago. ''Sekku'' is the term given meaning special day of observance. The festival is now celebrated on the seventh day of the first month and is considered a part of the New Year observances that are celebrated during this time. It is also known as Nanakusa-no-sekku, the "Feast of Seven Herbs", from the custom of eating seven-herb kayu ( ') to ensure good health and to ward off away evil spirits in the coming new year. The name "Day of Mankind" generates from the stipulation of no harm coming to humans on this day and the name "Festival of The Seven Herbs" comes from a tradition of store owners gathering and providing the seven lucky herbs to the emperor as nanakusagayu. The typical herbs used for the creation of nanakusagayu are nazuna, seri, gogyo, hotokenza, suzushiro, and hakobe. However, in some regions other vari ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Herb
In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distinguishes herbs from spices. ''Herbs'' generally refers to the leafy green or flowering parts of a plant (either fresh or dried), while ''spices'' are usually dried and produced from other parts of the plant, including seeds, bark, roots and fruits. Herbs have a variety of uses including culinary, medicinal, aromatic and in some cases, spiritual. General usage of the term "herb" differs between culinary herbs and medicinal herbs; in medicinal or spiritual use, any parts of the plant might be considered as "herbs", including leaves, roots, flowers, seeds, root bark, inner bark (and cambium), resin and pericarp. The word "herb" is pronounced in Commonwealth English, but is comm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sushi
is a Japanese dish of prepared , usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of , such as seafood, often raw, and vegetables. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is "sushi rice," also referred to as , or . The inventor of modern sushi is believed to be Hanaya Yohei, who invented nigiri-zushi, a type of sushi most known today, in which seafood is placed on hand-pressed vinegared rice, around 1824 in the Edo period (1603–1867). It was the fast food of the ''chōnin'' class in the Edo period. Sushi is traditionally made with medium-grain white rice, though it can be prepared with brown rice or short-grain rice. It is very often prepared with seafood, such as squid, eel, yellowtail, salmon, tuna or imitation crab meat. Many types of sushi are vegetarian. It is often served with , wasabi, and soy sauce. Daikon radish or are popular garnishes for the dish. Sushi is sometimes confused with sashimi, a similar di ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sashimi
is a Japanese delicacy consisting of fresh raw fish or meat sliced into thin pieces and often eaten with soy sauce. Origin The word ''sashimi'' means "pierced body", i.e. " 刺身" = ''sashimi'', where 刺 し = ''sashi'' (pierced, stuck) and 身 = ''mi'' (body, meat). This word dates from the Muromachi period and was possibly coined when the word " 切る" = ''kiru'' (cut), the culinary step, was considered too inauspicious to be used by anyone other than samurai. This word may derive from the culinary practice of sticking the fish's tail and fin to the slices for the purpose of identifying the fish being eaten. Another possibility for the name is the traditional method of harvesting. "''Sashimi''-grade" fish is caught by individual handline. As soon as the fish is landed, its brain is pierced with a sharp spike, and it is placed in slurried ice. This spiking is called the ikejime process, and the instantaneous death means that the fish's flesh contains a minimal amo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
New Year's Eve
In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to as “New Year’s Eve”. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinking, and watching or lighting fireworks. Some Christians attend a watchnight service. The celebrations generally go on past midnight into New Year's Day, 1 January. The Line Islands (part of Kiribati) and Tonga, in the Pacific Ocean, are the first places to welcome the New Year, while American Samoa, Baker Island and Howland Island (part of the United States Minor Outlying Islands) are among the last. By region Africa Algeria In Algeria, New Year's Eve (french: Réveillon; '' ar, Ra’s al-‘Ām'') is usually celebrated with family and friends. In the largest cities, such as Algiers, Constantine, Annaba, Oran, Sétif, and Béj ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ōmisoka
—or —is a Japanese traditional celebration on the last day of the year. Traditionally, it was held on the final day of the 12th lunar month. With Japan's switch to using the Gregorian calendar at the beginning of the Meiji era, December 31 (New Year's Eve) is now used for the celebration. Origins Etymology The last day of each month of the Japanese lunisolar calendar was historically named . Originally, "miso" was written as 三十, indicating the 30th day, though ''misoka'' sometimes fell on the 29th due to the varying lengths of the lunar month. The last day in the 12th lunar month is called —with the 大 indicating it is the final last day of the month for that year—or the "great thirtieth day". As part of the Meiji Restoration, Japan switched to the Gregorian calendar in 1873, and ''ōmisoka'' was set as December 31, or New Year's Eve. The day is also known by the archaic pronunciation of . This is a shortened version of , meaning "last day of the month". Activities ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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