ひな祭り

I teach a Thursday evening lesson that always ends with "tea time", where my students and I move to the living room (this class is in a private home) and chat over tea and snacks. Although our host provides the refreshments, at least one student a week will bring something, usually a souvenir from a trip or something seasonal. Last time all the snacks were Hina matsuri related:

Clockwise from bottom: kome okoshi (puffed rice bars); kompeito candy; kaminari okoshi (puffed rice bars from Asakusa, Tokyo); hina sembei (sugar-coated rice cracker); candy-coated puffed rice.

Hina matsuri, known as the Doll Festival, is on March 3rd. It is celebrated by girls and their families by displaying special Hina ningyo (hina dolls) and eating special food. Since I don't have kids it's not something I celebrate at home, but luckily I know lots of people with daughters and get to see how they celebrate it.

Above and below are the displays in the home of the lady who hosts my Thursday evening class. She used to have a full set of dolls that she'd arrange on a huge tiered display, but now that her daughter is grown up she doesn't do the full shebang.

Today we went to my husband's sister's house to celebrate Hina matsuri with her family. This picture, painted by my mother-in-law, was on display:

We were treated to a lovely lunch:

Date-maki (rolled omelet); kamaboko (steamed fish paste) with a Hina matsuri design; shrimp sauteed with shishito peppers; tandoori chicken and steamed broccoli; amazake (a sweet fermented rice drink); ushio-jiru (clear soup) with clams, shrimp balls and mitsuba (trefoil).

There was also chirashi-zushi (scattered sushi) topped with shiitake, renkon (lotus root), carrot, ikura (salmon roe), smoked salmon, thin omelet, and mitsuba. All of the food (with the exception of the chicken) are special Hina matsuri dishes, and it was all delicious. The chirashi-zushi and ushio jiru were especially tasty and I would have eaten more if Marya, my niece, hadn't finished lunch early and demanded we play with her. And by "play" she meant "sit quiet and watch me play and don't you dare touch any of my toys". In a cute way, of course-- she's 3.

Dessert was mitarashi dango (rice cake balls with a sweet sauce); sakura-an dango (rice cake balls and white bean paste flavoured with cherry leaves); and sakura mochi (red bean paste-stuffed sticky rice wrapped in a preserved cherry leaf), all homemade. There was also a cake sent by my parents-in-law that I didn't get a picture of because I was busy "playing" with Marya. It was all lovely though and we were sent home with a nice sugar buzz and enough leftovers to have the same thing again for dinner.

I didn't cook at all and yet I got to eat all kinds of great stuff-- that's my kind of Sunday.

Comments

[kat]

Happy Girl's Day!

[terri]

it is always a pleasure to read ur blog. i enjoyed this post :)

[domesticshorthair]

Such delightful food! I've never seen kamaboko with pictures in it and the sakura-an sounds so intriguing.

[Naoyuki]

I miss sakuramochi...

[Mama BoK]

I love the food in japan.. they are just too pretty to eat.. :)
The presentation .. and even the gift boxes.. are too pretty to open.. ;)

[Janet]

Love the cups with the bunnies and blossoms on them!

[Amy]

Thanks for the comments!

Domesticshorthair, you can get special kamaboko for kids bentos, with Hello Kitty and similar designs. There also several seasonal versions, like for Christmas and New Years.