Last time, I introduced “Setsubun”.
Bean-throwing events are held all over Japan on February 3rd every year, and it is also customary to eat “ehomaki” on this day. What is “ehomaki”?
Ehomaki is a sushi-like food.
There is a theory that the culture of Ehomaki originated in the Kansai(West part of Japan), and it is said that we should eat it to see “Eho” who is a god without saying anything. If you do so, you can achieve prosperous business and good health. It is said that the reason for eating in silence is that “talk” in Hiragana means “takes away good fortune”.
By the way, this year’s eho’s direction is south-southeast and slightly south. It seems to be slightly south of the south-southeast. That means eho is in different place every year.
Ehomaki is also sold in supermarkets so it is very crowded in recent years. And the price of ehomaki is being expensive more and more. However, there are some regions in Japan that do not have a culture of eating ehomaki.
I’m thinking of making my own ehomaki this year.
Please try eating ehomaki when you come to Japan.
恵方巻きとは何か
前回は節分について紹介しました。
毎年二月三日は日本各地で豆をまく行事が行われますが、この日に恵方巻きを食べる習慣があります。恵方巻きとは何でしょうか？
恵方巻きは海苔を巻いた寿司のような形をしている食べ物です。
恵方巻きは、もともと関西から始まった文化という説があり、恵方と呼ばれる神様の方向を向いて食べることで、「商売繁盛」や「無病息災」が叶うと言われております。無言で食べる理由は「話す」ことで「福を離してしまう」と言われております。
ちなみに今年の恵方は南南東 微南。南南東のやや南でのようです。
恵方巻きって、スーパーでも売っているのですが、近年はとても混雑します。そして恵方巻きの値段が高いです。ただし、日本の地域によっては恵方巻きを食べる文化がないところもあります。
私は今年、恵方巻きを自分で作ってみようと思います。
是非日本に来たら恵方巻きを食べてみてくださいね。
