[For Elementary School Kids] A New Year’s Quiz Everyone Can Enjoy! Learn surprising fun facts with multiple-choice questions

Because there are long-standing regional traditions and differences in ingredients

Ozoni is a traditional dish that has been passed down in various regions of Japan since long ago. Differences in locally available ingredients and the shape and preparation of the rice cakes (mochi) lead to variations in flavor and appearance. For example, in the Kanto region it’s typically a clear broth with grilled square mochi, while in the Kansai region it’s more common to simmer round mochi. Originally, it was a ritual of eating mochi that had been offered to the gods, and it remains a dish that strongly reflects regional characteristics.

January 7

People eat nanakusa-gayu (seven-herb rice porridge) on January 7 every year. This day is called the Festival of Jinjitsu (“Human Day”), a traditional Japanese observance in which people eat rice porridge made with the seven herbs of spring to pray for good health throughout the year. It also serves to rest the stomach after the New Year’s feasts. Originally a court ceremony, it spread to the general populace through the Edo period.

Meiji era

The custom of viewing the first sunrise of the year spread among ordinary people starting in the Meiji era. Until then, it had been a special practice observed only by some, but during the Meiji period many came to believe that seeing the first sunrise on New Year’s Day would bring a good year.

Because one year has 12 months

The fact that there are twelve zodiac signs is related to the old calendar, which counted a year as twelve months. Because of that, one animal was assigned to each month, creating the twelve signs. Later, familiar animals were chosen to make them easier for people to remember, and the system came to be widely used in farming and daily life.

To prevent bad things from coming in

A shimenawa indicates a pure place where the gods are welcomed and is used to keep evil from entering the home. It is displayed to show that the place is pure so that the Toshigami deity can descend with peace of mind.

Soapberry seed

The black bead attached to the shuttlecock in hanetsuki is the seed of a tree called mukuroji (soapberry). Mukuroji seeds are hard and round, making them perfect for hanetsuki shuttlecocks. In the past, hanetsuki was played as a way to ward off evil and was also an event to pray for children’s growth.

hammer

During Kagami-biraki, it is considered inauspicious to cut the kagami mochi with a knife, so it is broken apart using a hammer or wooden mallet. Using blades is avoided because the act of cutting is deemed unlucky, and in the samurai era it was prohibited as it evoked the idea of “cutting down an enemy.” The positive term “to open” was chosen to emphasize good fortune. The broken mochi is eaten in dishes like ozoni or zenzai as a ritual to receive the deity’s blessing.