Osechi is the special traditional cuisine Japanese people eat at New Year, especially the first three days of January. It is eaten to pray for a bountiful harvest, excellent health, prosperity of descendants and for the safety of one’s family’s throughout the year. Source: Japan Today. The origin dates back to the old calendar from China. In the Heian period (794-1185), people celebrated sekku or division of seasons. Annual events were formalized at the imperial court, and a banquet called "New Year's Day Sechie (meeting on seasonal turning point)” was held among the nobility, where the sumptuous meal was called osechiku. This culture spread to the common people during the Edo period (1603-1867) and the word evolved as osechi. The stacked style became common from the late Edo to Meiji periods (1868-1912). Osechi dishes are mainly prepared in such a way that they can be stored for a long time, helping families to be free from housework, at least for the first three days of the ...
“A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.” – Irish proverb