New Year Celebration in Japan and Jamaica: A brief comparison
A Happy New Year š„³ to all Reggaemuffins, foodflingers and Steemians! Hereās wishing you all the best - I hope this decade will be the best yet in your life. With that - letās Steem on.
New Yearās Day or āOshogatsuāis probably the most celebrated public holiday in Japan šÆšµ. Celebrations start with a light meal on New Yearās Eve. 
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Toshikoshi Soba š is a miso based soup which contains noodles. Since noodles are long , they symbolize a wish for long life.
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Some people go for Ozouni depending on which part of Japan they are from. This soup also uses miso (might be different type of miso based on region)
but it includes Mochi (rice cakes) instead of noodles. They however, represent the same wish because mochi is stretchy when heated and so people are basically wishing for a stretch in their lifespan by eating this.
Hatsumodeā : New Year -First Shrine visit
In big cities where the trains usually stop by midnight , there is all night train service on December 31st to allow people a chance get to the shrine for the tolling of the bell.
People join long lines to get in front of the shrine , they clap their hands two times to summon the god to their prayer. They pray a brief silent prayer and toss coins in the area designated for this. !
people buying Mikuji
After saying their prayer, some people go to another area to purchase their fortune cookie (Omikuji) to see a forecast of the year ahead. There are preferred cards to draw and this is a big event for almost everyone. Whatsome people do after reading their fortune
Around the temple is usually be filled with food stalls selling everything from candy apples to fried chicken (karaage) and even games for the children. I was lucky to walk by a shrine in the early hours of January 1st, so I caught a few snaps and of course a strong whiff of the goodies for sale.
Meal on January 1 in Japan šÆšµ
The thing that most people look forward to on the first of January in Japan is āOsechiā. This is a mix of traditional foods With each having some symbolic meaning. Thank you for waiting : Here is my Food Fight Friday entryš
Each food item in the osechi has a special meaning. For fear of boring you with the details , I direct the attention of those who are interested to This for more information.
New Year Celebration in Jamaica šÆš²
Jamaica has more churches per square mile than any other country in the world. That means that most Jamaicans go to watch night services at church to sing , pray and listen to a sermon until midnight. As many seasonal Christians would say , they want the new year to āCatch me in church.ā Some Christians like the Seventh-day Adventist typically celebrate New Years Day from Sunset š
Dec 31.
People also get a nice stock of fire crackers and set these off at midnight š . Prior to all of this, people ensure that their houses are āspik and spanā (Clean ) for the New Year. Going to grand market for fireworks is a traditional event for many. For the rich and famous it might be a night spent at the annual New Yearās Eve Banquet at one of the fancy hotels in one of the big cities. The New Yearās meal typically looks like the Christmas meal - a table spread with the finest meats and fish like the one I shared last week.
When I was in Jamaica my friends and I usually spend time after church playing games and cooking food at a friendās house. The New Year games night was an exciting event for us. Uno, Taboo, Scrabble , Dominoes and just about any game you could think of provided rich entertainment for us and onlookers whose hearts couldnāt manage the competition. On the morning of New Yearās Day, we would take a trip to the beach to close out the day. These are still some of the fondest memories I have of home. How about you? Is there anything special that you of your family do on New Years Day?
People like making New Years resolutions, hereās one from Vybz Kartel from last decade.
This has been another Indeliblevibration from the ReggaeKitchen with yours Truly MissaJ.
Peace and Love EveryTime!
A meal fit for a king.
Datemaki - the acquisition of knowledge and culture.
Ebi - to wish for a long life,
Gobo - bring good luck and stability to the household
Kazunoko - to wish for a prosperous family.
Kikuka-kabu - represents longevity.
Kobu-maki - to rejoice
Kohaku Kamaboko - to bring about good economic fortune
Kuromame - represent a healthy suntan,
Renkon - symbolize a good outlook for the future. It also represents fertility and purity.
Satoimo - represents the wish for many children.
Tatsukuri or Gomame - wishing for a good harvest.
Thanks for including the link that tells you the special meanings of all of the foods.
Not that I could conjure up a meal like this, but if I did I would leave out the Satoimo, I have enough children.š
š you are welcome! Get some more . š
Wassup my favorite Rasta man? Eh, firstly, your images are evolving into a bunch of gorgeous cover images. Ok, letās get to the real stuff.
Dude, how do you eat the Fāing prawns?! Iāve ordered them twice since in Italy and I donāt know how to de shell the frikkin things! Not only that, theyāre cooked with the poop tract still in them so the two times I attempted to de shell them (which was an epic fail) I couldnāt get passed the poop tract. What am I doing wrong? No, really, what am I doing wrong?
Great contender, chef! The kitchen wouldnāt be the same without you. Good luck in round 76.
Greetings Bredrin špoint of order mr. Speaker, though I agree with Rastafarians on many things - I would be lying if I claimed to be one.
On to the sea creatures , I donāt eat shell food but my family does. They usually remove the head first and then get to the removing the shell.
Some People here like leaving the intestine in the fish as well, I aināt about that life,
Wow now that's a banquet fit for a king @missaj, way too much temptation here!
We used to take our kids to the beach on new year's day and it ALWAYS was excruciating hot as we're in the midst of summer here. Nowadays we have family over for a laidback lunch or a bbq. Lovely post!
Thank you for sharing - beach and bbq sound great!
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What a tremendous menu, all the dishes look excellent, the prawns and the tuna are top quality, I like that combination of land and sea to accommodate the table.
I think thatās what the Japanese were going for . Thanks for passing through the kitchen.
Great post! Shared on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/reggaesteem/status/1213541231751520256
Give thanks!
Your Food Fight Friday Contender has been entered into Round 76
May your contender make it out alive and not be placed in a permanent food coma!
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