In many parts of Asia, New Year celebrations take on a different and richly diverse flavor to attract good fortune. At Hotel Nikko Saigon, we are proud to deliver authentic New Year experience in truly Japanese style for you to discover. Pounding fresh mochi and drinking sake from the cask, which symbolize good luck and prosperity will be definitely an unforgettable experience. MOCHITSUKI Mochi has been considered a sacred food since ancient times because rice cultivation has always been indispensable for the Japanese. The custom of eating mochi has been kept up from olden times. Mochi is a symbol of good crop, the god of good crop, and a blessing. People customarily eat it during New Year’s holidays to celebrate New Year’s coming. Mochituki is the traditional mochi-pounding ceremony. Polished glutinous rice is soaked overnight and cooked, then the rice is pounded with wooden mallets (kine) in a traditional mortar (usu). Two people will alternate the work, one pounding and the other turning and wetting the mochi. KAGAMI BIRAKI Kagami-biraki is a ceremony performed at celebratory events in which the lid of the sake barrel is broken open by a wooden mallet and the sake is served to everyone present. Kagami refers to the lid of the sake barrel and biraki means “to open” so kagami-biraki literally means “opening the lid.” Because of the lids round shape, the kagami is a symbol of harmony. The kagami-biraki, therefore, represents an opening to harmony and good fortune. Also it is a means of beseeching the gods to grant good health and fortune at junctures in time, such as the New Year or the start of a new departure in life or business. HAPPY NEW YEAR! WISH YOU ALL HAVE A PROSPEROUS AND SUCCESSFUL NEW YEAR!
Posted on: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 05:40:11 +0000
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