Customs of the winter solstice and year-end

Kabocha and a yuzu bath at the winter solstice

At toji, the day with the shortest daylight of the year, there's a widespread custom of eating kabocha (pumpkin) and taking a bath with yuzu citrus floating in it. Kabocha is also called nankin, and eating foods whose names contain the syllable "n" is often linked to a saying about drawing good luck. It's also described as an old piece of wisdom — eating something nutritious to brace for the cold ahead. The yuzu bath is said to come from the idea that its strong scent wards off bad luck, a custom said to have spread from around the Edo period.

Year-end soba (toshikoshi soba)

The custom of eating soba on New Year's Eve is said to date to the Edo period, with the long, thin noodles read as a wish for a long life, and their tendency to break easily read as cutting away the past year's troubles. There's said to be no strict rule for what time to eat it, though many households finish before the new year arrives.

Mochitsuki and kagami-biraki

Around year-end, there's a custom of pounding mochi (mochitsuki) to prepare kagami mochi. Kagami mochi is said to be shaped after the mirror, one of the three sacred treasures, and is displayed as a lucky charm — in a tokonoma alcove, for instance — believed to house the year's deity. After the New Year decorations come down, around January 11th, there's a widespread custom called kagami-biraki: taking the kagami mochi down and breaking it with a wooden mallet rather than a blade (said to be the custom, to avoid an unlucky association with cutting), then eating it in dishes like oshiruko or zoni.

Related foods

If soba interests you, see "Soba"; for mochi and rice, see "Rice"; and for more foods tied to seasonal events, check the related tag.