Traditions are an important part of forming and maintaining cultural identities. They are what bonds people together and remind them of their values. Traditions can be elements that are practiced by people on a smaller scale or can be passed down from generation to generation. Traditions come in many forms, from cultural norms to storytelling to holidays to food.
Recently, I learned about the mochi making ceremony which I have always been curious about. I used to see videos of older Japanese men pounding the rice cake on social media, and I remember thinking that this must be a difficult and dangerous task to do. However, after visiting my friend’s house for the mochi-making ceremony, I realized that mochi-making is a tradition that was once practiced by households all over Japan, so was not considered to be something exceptional.
Mochitsuki, mochi-making, is a ceremony where people partake in the making of mochi- Japanese sweet glutinous rice cake. There is a process towards making mochi starting with the steaming of the rice, the pounding that follows, then the process of molding it into the desired shape. Finally flavors are added to it.
