FOOD FOR THOUGHT

We know God has wonderful things ahead in the New Year! May there be Blessings for each of you as well! And maybe this is the year the Lord will come again!

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The New Year is the greatest festival in Japan. People of all classes and occupations in the entire country celebrate it, but it is an intensely personal family affair. Members share the many firsts of the New Year like the first sunrise; the first shrine visit and the first food.

No cooking is done for three days with the exception of the hearty New Years soup. Fish, black beans, rolled omelet and vegetables are prepared in advance and served from beautifully decorated multi-tiered trays. The dishes served to celebrate the New Year have special meanings, and with some variations, are enjoyed in every home in the nation. The o-sechi foods of the New Year exemplify traditional Japanese cuisine, utilizing the fruits of the mountains and the bounty of the ocean to celebrate all of the gifts that nature provides.

Datemaki, sweet rolled omelet, symbolizes many auspicious days ahead.


Kazunoku, herring roe eggs, symbolizes fertility and are eaten to fulfill the desire for many children in the family.



Kuromame, black soybeans, typifies good health, longevity and the ability to work willingly and skillfully.



Tazukuri are small dried sardines cooked in soy sauce. The fish were used historically to fertilize rice paddies, and eating it symbolizes a prayer for an abundant harvest.



Renkon is lotus root and with its many holes it depicts the idea of ease in seeing through things and perceiving a bright future ahead.



To let the overworked stomach rest, nanakusa-gayu, a seven-herb rice soup, is prepared on the 7th and 15th day of January!



After three days of families doing everything together, slowly over the next two weeks, work and studies are commenced with new promises, intentions and ideals for the year ahead.


For centuries, once a year the Japanese have their New Year feast, but very few know of the greatest imminent festival of all times that will be far beyond even their wildest imaginations.

It will be the day of the Wedding Feast of the Lamb of God!

"...Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. .."

(Revelation 19: 9).

Do you have a seat reserved for this banquet of all banquets? To be invited, you need to know Christ your Savior and Lord!