Ring in the New Year Local Style

New Year’s on Kaua’i is welcomed with food and family. Here are 5 traditions to celebrate island style.

 

• Mochi pounding.

  Mochi pounding is a Japanese custom that involves a day of preparing mochi, a sweet and sticky rice cake, by hand. Family members often pair up for the process, which begins by pounding the rice with either a stone mortar or wooden hammer. As one person pounds the rice, the second person turns the bundle until the rice achieves a batter-like consistency. Then the mochi is molded into individual patties, the shape of which symbolizes good fortune and prosperity during the New Year. The soft, chewy traditional Japanese rice cake is a tasty way to celebrate the new year!

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• Ozoni soup.

  This Japanese staple has a dashi or chicken broth base and contains chicken or pork, mochi, and seasonal vegetables like daikon, mushrooms, and leafy greens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Year sashimi.

Eating sashimi is another way to ensure prosperity in the coming year.

 

 

 

 

• Kadamatsu.

  A New Year’s decoration made of bamboo and pine is also said to welcome happy and prosperous New Year.

• New Year’s first day hike.

  It’s a common practice to wake up early on New Year’s Day to watch the first sunrise of the year as a symbol of the new beginning. Take on a refreshing hike as a symbol of the new beginning.

HAU’OLI MAKAHIKI HOU, WE WISH OUR FRIENDS & FAMILY A HAPPY NEW YEAR!