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Hinamatsuri is a special holiday in Japan that features unique foods and decorations. But what is it, and how do people in Japan celebrate it?
Hinamatsuri Foods to Celebrate Girl’s Festival in Style
On March 3rd, Japanese families with girls display hina dolls (hina-ningyo or ひな人形). It is generally believed that the dolls remove bad luck, and by doing so, they pray for the health and happiness of young girls. This event is called Hinamatsuri (ひな祭り).
In addition to the hina dolls, expensive cuisine is also believed to bring good luck. This article introduces five of the Hinamatsuri foods. Have a go at one or all of these delicious dishes.
1. Chirashizushiちらし寿司
Chirashizushi is a sushi bowl with various ingredients such as shrimp, salmon roe, Shiitake mushroom and egg. You can essentially put anything you want in it. Still, for Hinamatsuri, you should include shrimp, which symbolizes a long life, lotus root, which represents good foresight for your future, and beans as a protein, the means to work harder. You can easily find Chirashizushi at supermarkets, but it’s fun to try cooking it yourself. Below is an easy-to-make recipe:
<Easy Hinamatsuri Chirashizushi Recipe>
Portion: 2-3 persons
‐Ingredients‐
1/2 Carrot
2 Shiitake mushrooms
2 Slices of Ham
4 Shrimps
1/3 Lotus Root
Handful of Green Beans
1 Egg
2 Cups cooked short-grain rice
Crushed Nori
<Vinegar Mixture>
3 1/2 Tablespoons of Japanese Vinegar (米酢 – Komezu)
2 1/2 Tablespoons of Sugar
1/2 Tablespoon of Salt
(1) Rinse rice and prepare rice in a rice cooker.
(2) Cut the carrot and shiitake mushrooms into small pieces, cut the lotus root into quarter slices, and boil them until soft. Boiling time will differ; carrots will take 7-10 minutes, lotus root will take 5-15 minutes, and shiitake mushrooms will take 5-7 minutes.
(4) Once boiled, add the carrots, shiitake mushrooms, and lotus root to your mixture of Japanese vinegar
(5) Once coated evenly, add vegetables to a bowl and mix in your cooked rice. Cover the bowl with a wet dishcloth until it’s warm
(6) Devein and boil shrimp in salted water (if working with shelled shrimp, deshell after cooking), proceed to cut the ham
(7) Cut green beans diagonally and boil for 5-10 mins
(8) Make a thin omelette and cut into strips (3-4cm)
(9) Place the rice on a plate and mix in the omelette, green beans, ham, and shrimp.
(10) Sprinkle the top with crushed nori and enjoy!
2. Hamaguri no Osuimonoはまぐりのお吸い物 (Clear Soup With Clams)
This soup is a typical Hinamatsuri food. Due to differences in shape and size, clamshells can only be matched with their partner shell. Thus, they are used as a symbol of a ‘married couple’. The clams in this soup symbolize the wish to stay with your true love forever! The recipe is straightforward and can be cooked within 10 minutes!
<How to Make Hamaguri No Osuimono>2-3persons
‐Ingredients‐
200-250 grams Clams(200-250g)
500ml Water
1/2 Kombu seaweed strip
1 Tablespoon Japanese Sake
A pinch of salt
(1) Wash clams well (remove the sand inside the shell by soaking in salt water for 1-2 hours)
(2) Place clams, water and kombu seaweed into the pot and cook on a low flame
(3) Remove the kombu seaweed after the liquid reaches boiling point
(4) Stop the heat after most of the shells open
(5) Add the salt and Japanese sake, and you are ready to serve!
3. Hishimochi菱餅 (Rhombus-Shaped Rice Cake)
Hishimochi is a three-layer rice cake; one layer is pink, white, and green. The green color symbolizes health, long life and the earth. It is made from Japanese mugwort (Yomogiよもぎ), which encourages blood flow. The white represents cleanliness and snow, made by the aquatic herb water caltrop, which helps reduce blood pressure. Lastly, the pink color represents “protection”, and it is made from gardenias, a detoxifying plant.
The meaning behind the combination of these three colors comes from various views, but it is usually said that ‘in early spring new green grass come into bud under the snow, and peach blossoms open on the snow, ” this saying indicates the signs of spring. The rhombus shape symbolizes the heart, wishing daughters a healthy life from their mothers! You can find this rice cake at supermarkets around the time of the Hinamatsuri. We recommend you boil or grill it with seasoning such as soy sauce!
4. Hinaarareひなあられ (Bite-Sized Sweet Rice Crackers)
The rice crackers were made to take outside when celebrating with family, as hishimochi is sticky and difficult to carry around. There is sometimes an additional yellow rice cracker and green, white and pink. The symbolism is a bit similar to that of the hishimochi: green, meaning the energy of nature; white is earth’s power; and pink is life energy.
If it is a four-coloured Hinaarare, it symbolizes the four seasons: spring (green), summer (pink), autumn (yellow), and winter (white). It is meant to convey that you will live happily throughout the year. These rice crackers are easy to find in supermarkets, and they are not difficult to cook yourself!
The easiest way to cook these rice crackers is to cut sliced rice cake into small pieces and bake them in the oven at 150℃ (302℉) for 20 minutes. After that, you only need to add sugar or colour powder!
5. Shirozake白酒 (White Sake)
This white sake is a sweet Japanese sake (mirin みりん) or shochu 焼酎 mixed with steamed rice or yeast and fermented for one month. It sounds easy, but it’s not, so we suggest you go out and buy it!
For a long time before white sake was introduced in Japan, ‘peach blossom sake (tokashu 桃花酒) was used, and it is said peach gets rid of negative vibes and will bring vitality and physical strength! However, it has 10％ alcohol in it, so please don’t let your children drink it! But you can offer them ‘sweet sake (Amazake甘酒)’, which has an alcohol content of less than 1％!
To enjoy the day, you can have parties and try these five recommended foods. Celebrate the growth of all girls and wish them a long life!
What Hinamatsuri Foods Will You Try?
From savoury dishes to sweet desserts and drinks, there are plenty of unique foods to try during Hinamatsuri. Which will you try?
MIKU/JAPAN
Related Articles:
- Hinamatsuri: A Celebration of Girls
- Top 5 Important Celebrations in Japan You Don’t Want To Miss!
- Tanabata Festival: Top 3 Celebrations in Japan
- 753! A day of celebration for the healthy growth of children!
Feature photo credit: Canva
