私達の島の産業文化祭を行われました。そこで最後のイベントは恒例の餅投げだった。私は日本で餅を作る祭りにも餅を投げる祭りにも見て来ました。でも今回初めて餅投げを見ていて食べ物を投げる習慣は日本独特の習慣ではないかと気づきました。もちろん、戦争や被害にあった地域に空から食べ物を投げることみたことあるが、その投げ方と餅の投げ方は違う。

　島の産業祭を終わりに近づいたとき、皆さんが餅投げを行う場所に徐々に集まって来ました。子供から大人まで幅広年齢の方々が手に買い物袋を持って餅投げ待っていました。

　日本人は餅投げというのは文化の一部かもしれないですが、外国人にとってはとても不思議な習慣だと思う。餅は昔から日本で存在していて、正月には欠かせない食べ物までは分かっていました。

　なぜ餅を投げるのでしょうか、なぜ皆さんが一生懸命それに参加するのでしょうか。何日間もご飯食べてない人が、空からくる食べ物を狙う理由が分かりますが、私から見たらそんなに美味しくもない食べ物になぜあんなに一生懸命になるのかをすごく不思議でした。

　そこで餅投げの事を少し調べたいと思ったのです。

　餅は幸せの食べ物というイメージがあり、空から落ちてくる餅を掴むことは幸せを掴む事と一緒だと日本人が思っている。だから一生懸命に餅を拾っていると分かりました。

　餅作りを見ていたら分かると思いますが、それはとても細かな作業です。１人が杵でつくときもう１人が臼の中に手を入れて餅を動かす。餅作りのプロのやり方を、見るだけでびっくりする。お互いの息が合わなければ大きなけがにもつながる可能性がある。餅作りはとても力仕事であり、作業に参加する皆さんの協力をなしにはいい餅を出来上がりません。考えてみると、協力あって大きな目標達成する日本人の姿を餅作りのなかでもある。

　餅投げの習慣の中にもとても奥深い意味があると分かりました。餅投げというのは

The annual cultural and industrial festival was held last month in our island. The event was a meeting place for the islanders. The Mochi Nage was the last event of the festival. I have been participated to the both Mochi making events and Mochi Throwing events and just look at it as another Japanese custom. But while looking at this, I start to think, why they are throwing foods. In my home country, throwing food is a very bad manner. I think Mochi nage is a strange tradition for the most of the foreigners. It is easy to understand that the people who were affected by natural disaster or a civil war, waiting for foods from sky.   But it's Japanese who are waiting for rice cake from the sky.

  When they announced that “ Mochi Nage will start soon , the islanders gradually gathers to the place where the Mochi nage is taking place. Every one with a shopping bag to put the rice cakes which they collect. They were very anxious to take the best place, where they can catch easily. I was wondered by their enthusiasm and same time I thought why they are so interested in this function. I also participated to the event and able to catch few rice cakes, I gave it Obachan next to me because I have nothing to do with mochi. She was delighted to have it. That day I went home with much confusion on my mind regarding the rice cake.

  Its stimulate me to search about history of Mochi and Mochi throwing. The very next day I went to see the Ojisan who teaches me many things about Japanese culture. I directly ask the question “why are they throwing rice cakes, he laugh at me and said, it's not just another food, it's a sacred food for Japanese.

  Then he starts to explain me about the history of rice cake. Japanese believe that the Mochi brings them Happiness. That's why it's an indispensable food in Japanese New Year. For me it just a food that comes from the Sky, but for the Japanese it's the happiness. They are not just catching Mochi, symbolically they try to catch the Happiness. In Japanese there is a proverb “ 幸せは歩いて来ない、だから歩いていくんだよ” means that Happiness does not walk ,therefore you have to go for it. That's why they are so aggressive while taking part in the occasion.

He further explained me the great meaning which hide inside the rice cake making.

He asked me have you seen the rice cake making, I said yes. Have you seen the professional mochi makers, how fast are they?

I have seen it many times in TV,

  If you have seen it, you will be surprised by the speed, one is hammering the mortar and another person puts hand on mochi to mix it while the pestle in air. It happens in very high speed, if they lose the rhythm, you can imagine the plight of the person who puts the hand. After finishing the beating there is another group to make rice cake balls. So if you watch at the Mochi making procedure, you can understand that how hard group work, Mochi making is. This is one of the great custom where you can find the interactive Japanese who like group works. In that sense rice cake is strengthening the community, because most of the time rice cake making is held in community.

  I always think, culture is something really wonderful. Most of the traditions and customs have their own meaning, but most of the times we just take the surface meaning on it, but if we put on step forward, you can find the great meaning which inside it.