Sweet Seasons/January 2006 - Celebrating the New Year -

Wakatake (Young Bamboo) In Japan, happy occasions are often celebrated with wagashi, and New Year’s holidays are no exception. At this time of the year, almost all Japanese confectionery shops sell wagashi that represent themes related to New Year’s celebration. They are often in the shape of the zodiac animal of the year, or animals/plants associated with good luck, such as crane, turtle, bamboo, pine and plum. Wakatake (young bamboo) is associated with good health, strength and endurance because it grows fast and remains green all year round. Gold leaf is often used for New Year’s wagashi to add a festive touch. Read More-------- Hanabira-Mochi (Flower Petal Rice Cake) Hanabira mochi is a traditional New Year’s wagashi with a long history. Its origin is a dessert called “hishi hanabira” which has been part of the traditional New Year’s dishes at shrines and the Imperial Court for hundreds of years. In olden days, they had a custom of eating certain chewy foods as part of their New Year’s ritual of wishing a long life. (The idea of “keeping good teeth” was associated with “living long"). Included in the chewy foods was oshi-ayu (sweetfish with its head and tail cut off). Eventually the ritual was simplified and they started eating special rice cakes called hishi hanabira instead of the original ritual foods. It is said that the sweetened burdock strip rolled in the hishi hanabira rice cake is the substitute for the oshi-ayu, and the miso added to the sweet bean paste also rolled in the rice cake is associated with zoni soup, another traditional New Year's dish. This site has a hanabira mochi recipe with a photo showing inside of this elegant wagashi. (Scroll down and click to enlarge the photo.) Yes, the name “hishi (diamond shape) hanabira (flower petal)” came from the diamond-shaped pink rice cake inside. This wagashi has been used at the first tea ceremony of the year by urasenke school of tea ceremony since they got a permission from the Imperial Court about 100 years ago. Recently hanabira mochi has become popular among those who do not practice tea ceremony, too. * Wagashi by Shingetsu References: http://www.yamakosenbei.co.jp/HAKU/hana.htm (Japanese) and a few other sites. Comments and corrections are welcomed.