Nanuka no on-sechiku

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Seasonal feast on the
seventh day of the seventh lunar month

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Early Autumn
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

nanuka no on-sechiku 七日の御節供
(なぬかのおんせちく)
Official seasonal feast on the
seventh day of the seventh lunar month

sakubei 索餅（さくべい） Sakubei-noodles
..... sakobei, rice brittle


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noodles, sakubei さくべい　索餅


The oldest form of the noodles, sakubei, produced by adding rice powder to flour and twist them like a rope, was introduced from China in the eighth century. Now we have udon and soomen nodles.
Sakubei are also served during the New Year Feast


Ganjitsu no Sechi-E 元日節会



Sakubei-noodles were also called "wheat ropes" (muginawa 牟義縄（むぎなわ）) in China. These noodles later developed to Somen-noodles 素麺（そうめん）in Japan


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During this ritual, offerings are made to the deities and later eaten by the participants of a feast.
To eat the Sakubei-noodles would ward off evil and disease (okoriyamai 瘧病) for the coming months of the year.
details see below

Samurai and townspeople wore white katabira official robes, eat these Sakubei-noodles and later Somen-noodles and congratulate each other for their good health.


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Worldwide use

. nanuka no sechi-e なぬかのせちえ【七日の節会】
Seasonal Feast on the seventh day (of the New Year)
hakubasai 白馬祭（はくばさい） Festival of the White Horse
aouma no sechi-e 青馬(あおうま)の節会(せちえ)
ao-uma no matsuri 青馬祭 (あおうまのまつり)


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU and SENRYU




索餅に 魂なぐさめん 高辛氏
sakubei ni tamashi nagusamen Kooshin shi

with Sakubei-noodles
we try to pacify his soul -
Emperor Koshin

Sada Kane 貞兼


According to Chinese legend, the child of the legendary emperor Koshi 高辛 (also called Koshinshi) died on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, and became a revengeful demon (霊鬼神). This demon brought feaver-diseases to the people (okori yamai).
To appease this demon and ward off feverish diseases, people started to offer Sakubei-noodles for him., because they were a well-loved food of the child.



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Related words

***** Food of the New Year Season, O-Setchi Ryori
(osetchi ryoori おせち料理, 御節料理 )



. Star Festival (Tanabata) 　
On the Seventh Day of the Seventh Lunar Month


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