History of Otoshidama

    Hello, everyone! Did you enjoy the last winter vacation? I do hope that you had a good time during the New Year. Today, I will write about the origin of Otoshidama (お年玉). 

  　Why Japanese adults give their money to children on the New Year's Day? It is said that this custom had been related to "Year God(Toshigami-sama,歳神さま in Japanese)," who had been worshiped in each family during the New Years holidays. People worshiped Toshigami-sama because they believed that the God brought abundant grains to people. Also, people thought that they could be health and make a lot of grains during the year if they gave rice cakes, which were made for the God, to their family or servants. 

    Japanese people thought that the rice cakes were sacred things. Therefore, it is said that people called the rice cakes "rice cakes like gems(玉(Tama)のような餅)." Also, some people called "the soul of Year God (歳(Toshi)神様の魂(Tamashii))," so the rice cakes became to be called "Toshidama(としだま)." (Sometimes Tama is pronounced Dama because of the letter before Tama.) 



    It was high economic growth period that people started to give their money instead of rice cakes. People quieted to make rice cakes because the number of family members and family units had been increasing at that time. Money is easier to prepare than rice cakes. 

    That's it! Thank you for reading.   

コメント

  1. Na.2021年1月8日 21:17

    I didn't know that Otoshidama is related to rice cakes. It's surprising! I think that many people are happier to get money than rice cakes!!!

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  2. Keimei Ko2021年1月24日 18:53

    It was vary interesting story! By the way, did you get some Otoshidama this year?

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