One-Day Late Hina Matsuri

Time and Date: Friday, March 4, 2016 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Venue: Room 1, Abiko Civic Plaza

Participants: 10 adults and 3 children, 7 AIRA staff members

As part of “Culture Class for Foreigners”, a party titled “Let’s Cook and Eat Hina Matsuri Cuisine” was held and people from South Asian and other countries, 13 in total, enjoyed chatting, cooking and eating. Hina Maturi is a Japanese traditional girls’ festival which is held on March 3. People display Hina-dolls and enjoy special cuisine in households.

 

Ms. Matsuki, leader of the staff, opened the party, saying, “Yesterday (March 3) was Hina Matsuri day. But we’ve arranged this party today, one-day late for your convenience.”

(Many of the participants were students at AIRA Friday Evening Class of Japanese language.)

First, all the people in the room introduced themselves. Husbands of some participants were among them and celebrated the “girls’ festival” together in a warm and cheerful atmosphere.

The highlight of the party was to cook and eat chirashi-zushi. They also ate sakura-mochi, cherry-rice cake, made and brought by a staff member.

How to make chirashi-zushi:

1. Put cooked rice in hango, a wooden bowl, cool it using uchiwa, a hand fan, and mix it.

2. Add vinegar and other ingredients such as sliced carrot, shiitake mushroom, etc. and mix them well.

3. Put the mixed rice on the plate and colorfully decorate it with egg, shrimp, green peas, etc.

On that day chirashi-zushi was gorgeously made with gold powder topping. The especially beautiful chirashi-zushi was served with a bowl of suimono, clear soup seasoned with soy sauce.

The participants were taking notes and photos with great interest, saying they would try cooking chirashi-zushi at home.

Participants from foreign countries ate vinegar-flavored rice for the first time and they liked it very much.

Sakura-mochi is a pale-pink sweet cake made from rice powder and red beans, wrapped in a salted cherry leaf, which was also very popular among the participants. They commented the sweet red-bean paste and the leaf match well and taste good.

Since Hinamatsuri cuisine had been served at school lunch on March 3, the children said they were lucky because they could eat chirashi-zushi and sakura-mochi twice this year.

One of the participants was a man from Iran. He talked about an Iranian New Year festival, NOWRUZ. According to the Iranian Calendar, March 21 is the New Year’s Day. He said Iranian people celebrate New Year eating a big dinner together and it is served all free. How nice!

In the room a pair of Hina dolls made of paper was displayed. They had a great time together experiencing one of the Japanese seasonal traditions. 　　(No. 15-22 Translated by Ch. Yamaguchi)