Quote of the day: “In many Japanese American households and communities, an annual custom ismochitsuki—the pounding of mochi or rice cakes, which is essential to the “Oshogatsu” or New Year’s celebration. Mochitsuki is an all-day event which requires many hands, long hours, and physical labor, but is also a time of fellowship and socializing with friends and family.”
Saturday, December 29, was the Mochi Pounding Day at Akiko’s. On December 26, Akiko’s friends and family began arriving from Honolulu to help with preparations for Mochi Pounding. Everyone has helped with Mochi Pounding before and knew exactly what to do. It seemed the work was accomplished effortlessly with lots of laughter and celebration along the way.
As I met each family member or friend it was as if I was being greeted and welcomed as a long-lost family member. In Hawaii you don’t shake hands to greet someone, you hug them, kiss them on the cheek and say “Aloha.” It took me my Minnesota nice self back a bit at first, but I’m beginning to like the custom.
The day before the event, was full of activity. Neighbors and friends came to set up a big awning over the mochi pounding area and fire area so that even if it rained, the pounding could go on. Meanwhile another group of family and friends were in the kitchen chopping vegetables for making Chicken Hakka lunches to sell during the event.
Miyo, the owner of a popular and successful Japanese restaurant in Hilo, supervised the chopping (and the next day, the cooking of the Chicken Hakka).
The weather for setup day and the day of Mochi pounding could not have been better. It rained early Friday morning but then didn’t rain again until Saturday evening, long after everything had been cleared and cleaned up.
Saturday (the day of Mochi Pounding) was an amazing day! The fires for steaming the rice were lit at 6:00 AM and from then until about 2:00 PM, Akiko’s place was a beehive of activity. Along with mochi pounding, there were I Ching readings, massages, palm reading and Chinese fortune telling, Hawaiian music, hula dancing, Taiko drumming, Jazz music, and more.
There was such a mellow vibe in the air and so many lovely people gathered. I will describe mochi pounding in detail in a later blog post, but for now, here are some of my favorite photos from the day.
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