Japanese Special Occasions
SPECIAL OCCASIONS
The Japanese constitution of 1946 guarantees religious freedom to all as
well as separation of religion and state. Virtually all Japanese, except
those converted to Christianity (numbering more than one million), are
Shintoists. But Shintoism, indigenous to Japan, is regarded as a cult
rather than a religion, and includes aspects of ancestor worship, faith
healing, belief in spirits, and purification rites. Confucianism is
regarded as a moral code rather than a religion. Thus, it is possible for
a Japanese to inter-twine not only Shintoism and Confucianism, but also
Buddhism. The latter is the predominant religion of Japan's more than 125
million people and has more than 200 sects and denominations. It is not
unusual for a Japanese person to follow Shinto rites for marriage and
Buddhist rites for a funeral.
Although modern in many ways, the Japanese mother takes great care to have
the special symbolic foods that are traditional for each of the many
festivities of the year: weddings, funerals, birthdays, visits to the
shrines, Children's Day (May 5), and Girls' Day (March 3). November 23 is
the memorial day for Kobo Daishi, the great Japanese teacher who united
Shintoism and Buddhism in the late 700s under one doctrine called Ryobu
Shinto. The biggest festival, often lasting three or four days, is New
Year's when families gather and meals comprising many courses of symbolic
foods are enjoyed together with visits to the shrines.
Red is considered a joyous and lucky color so it is found in abundance on
festivals, whether in clothing, ribbons, decorations, or foods. But most
symbolic of all is rice. Most typical Japanese feast foods are mochi (rice
cakes) and dango (dumplings made from rice flour, steamed or boiled then
finished by broiling and eating with bean-jam, a sprinkling of soybean
flour or sauce.) Shitogi is another ceremonial food made from
powdered rice that is steamed or boiled. It is usually prepared as an
offering rather than a food.
Foods for holidays are always deliberately different in color and flavor
from those eaten the rest of the year. Red beans are popular and a sweet
rice wine called amazake is served often. For the Girls' Day, also
called Doll Festival, mochi is made in diamond shapes colored pink,
pale green, and white. The Boys' Festival Day (May 5) is celebrated with
mochi wrapped in oak or bamboo leaves.
But perhaps most interesting is the individual symbolism given to certain
other foods. For example, lobsters are considered an indispensable part of
the birthday celebration, the hump of the lobster suggesting the bent back
of old age. By partaking of this food, it is hoped the person celebrating
the birthday may also live to old age.
The New Year's customs and foods are so varied that often they differ from
one family to another and certainly from region to region. A whole fish
broiled in salt (tail, sweet sake, red beans, mochi, and many other dishes
add to the merriment.