On New Year's Eve in Japan, people eat "New Year's Eve soba" (buckwheat noodles). In Japan, it is a "tradition" regardless of region.
Origin of New Year's Eve Soba Noodles
There are various theories as to the origin of New Year's Eve soba, but it seems to have originated because it is easy, tasty, and brings good luck.
It began around the middle of the Edo period (1603-1867).
Soba has long been cultivated as a crop to save people's lives, but at the same time, it was also eaten on special occasions as a good luck charm.
For example, Togakushi soba, Yamagata soba, and wanko soba are just a few examples of local soba dishes that were developed to be served on special occasions.
It seems that soba was also well known as a healthy food, as it was mentioned in the "Honcho Shokkan (book of meals)" of the mid-Edo period (1603-1868) that soba was good for one's health.
Soba is said to be effective in removing the dregs of the five internal organs and six viscera, and is also said to have health benefits. According to the "Honchoshokan" written in 1697 during the Edo period (1603-1867), "Soba (buckwheat) helps to lower the qi, relax the intestines, and knead the stagnation of the intestines and stomach. Eating New Year's Eve soba (buckwheat noodles) is meant to boost the body's metabolism, cleanse the body, and welcome the new year.
It was in the middle of the Edo period (1603-1867) that soba, a good luck and health food, came to be called "Misoka-soba" or "Setsubun-soba" and eaten at the end of each month or at the change of seasons.
"Misoka" refers to the end of the month, and "Setsubun" refers to the day before each of Risshun.
It is thought that the soba eaten at the end of the year gradually became "Toshikoshi-soba" because the day before Risshun is only a few days away from the last day of December (Omisoka) on the lunar calendar.
It is said that the name "Toshikoshi-soba" became popular nationwide after the Meiji period (1868-1912), and in the Edo period, it was also called "luck-soba" or "toki-soba" (because people counted their years).
The Meaning of Eating Soba on New Year's Eve
There are various theories about the meaning of eating New Year's Eve soba as follows.
1.Soba grows long and thin, so it is believed to prolong one's life and increase the fortune of the family.
2.Soba is easy to slice, so it is said to cut off the hardships and bad luck of the year and welcome the New Year with a clean slate.
3.Gold and silversmiths used buckwheat flour to collect scattered gold dust, which is believed to bring good luck.
In the Kamakura period (1185-1333), buckwheat cakes were served at Jotenji Temple in Hakata, Kyushu, to the townspeople who could not make it through the New Year.
It is difficult to say for sure, but it seems that all of them are a way to make a wish or to pray for good luck.
Just as every dish in Osechi cuisine has its own meaning, people in the past must have put a lot of wishes into eating a bowl of soba.
It never rains over the New Year
In the sense of cutting off the bad luck of the year,don't carry it over to the next year.
It is better to finish eating by the time the bell rings.
There is no specific time to eat it, but there seem to be two types of people: those who eat it at dinner on New Year's Eve and those who eat it after 11:00 p.m.
Since it is a good luck charm, eat it neatly and without leaving any leftovers.
How to eat New Year's Eve Soba in different regions
Tempura-soba with a large prawn (ebi) tempura on top is probably the most common type of soba in Japan. This is because prawns are a good luck charm for longevity, and the red color after boiling is considered a noble color and a food for celebration.
In the northern Kanto region, some people eat "Kenchin Soba" with Kenchin Jiru as dipping sauce for New Year's Eve. It is believed that this is because Kenchin Jiru is a good luck food widely eaten in the Kanto region.
In Kyoto and Osaka, "Nishin-soba" is a common dish. It is a hot soba noodle topped with kipper cooked in a sweet and spicy broth. The Chinese character for "nishin" (herring) is "nikin" (two parents), which means "many children are born from two parents" like the egg "kazunoko" (a small herring roe), which is a wish for "prosperity of offspring. At my parents' home in Osaka, New Year's Eve soba is also called Nishin-soba. It is made with herring cooked on a stick, green onions, and oboro konbu (kelp) to "rejoice" over the New Year's Eve.
Other local buckwheat noodles, such as wanko soba from Iwate Prefecture, hegi soba from Niigata Prefecture, Echizen oroshi soba from Fukui Prefecture, and wariko soba from Izumo (eastern Shimane Prefecture), are also often eaten as New Year's Eve soba. In all of these regions, the leeks used as condiments are meant to "thank the person for his or her hard work over the year.
