Food for Hinamatsuri and Tango no Sekku

Hinamatsuri (March 3rd)

Hinamatsuri, which wishes for girls' healthy growth, is often marked with a colorful chirashi sushi and clam (hamaguri) clear soup on the table. The toppings and presentation of the chirashi sushi vary a good deal by household and region, and there's no single fixed style, though auspicious ingredients like shrimp and rapeseed blossoms are said to be favored choices. Hina-arare, rice crackers colored in pink, white, and green, are also a familiar sweet for the season, with taste and grain size said to differ somewhat between the Kanto and Kansai regions. Some households also serve shirozake or, for children, amazake, a sweet, low- or non-alcoholic rice drink.

Tango no Sekku (May 5th)

Tango no Sekku, which wishes for boys' growth, is associated with eating kashiwa mochi and chimaki. Kashiwa mochi is said to take its meaning from the oak (kashiwa) tree, whose old leaves don't fall until new ones appear — read as a wish that the family line won't die out. Fillings typically come in a few varieties — smooth red bean, chunky red bean, and miso — and some shops fold the leaf a different way for each so customers can tell them apart. Chimaki, on the other hand, is said to be more closely associated with the Kansai region, so which one is more common can depend on where you are. The custom of a shobu-yu iris bath is sometimes mentioned alongside it, and many households also display koinobori carp streamers or gogatsu-ningyo dolls on the day.

Related foods

If chirashi sushi interests you, see "Sushi"; for kashiwa mochi and other wagashi, see "Wagashi"; and for more foods tied to seasonal events, check the related tag.