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New Year's rice cake offering
A traditional Japanese New Year decoration consisting of two round rice cakes stacked on top of each other, often topped with a bitter orange (daidai). Displayed as an offering to the gods during the New Year period.
鏡餅を飾る。
To display a kagami mochi.
年末に鏡餅を買ってきた。
I bought a kagami mochi at the end of the year.
鏡開きの日に鏡餅を割って雑煮にして食べた。
On the day of kagami-biraki, we broke the kagami mochi and ate it in ozoni soup.
A key element of Japanese New Year (正月) traditions. The name comes from 鏡 (mirror) because the round, flat shape resembles ancient bronze mirrors, which were considered sacred objects. The two stacked mochi represent the old and new years, or yin and yang.
CULTURAL CONTEXT:
Displayed from around December 28 until 鏡開き (January 11 in most regions), when the mochi is broken open (never cut with a knife, as cutting is considered unlucky) and eaten. Modern versions sold in supermarkets are often plastic containers shaped like 鏡餅 with individually wrapped mochi inside.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 鏡餅を飾る — to display kagami mochi
- 鏡餅を供える — to offer kagami mochi (to the gods)
- 鏡開き — the ceremony of breaking open the kagami mochi
RELATED TERMS:
- 餅 — rice cake; the base material
- 雑煮 — New Year's soup with mochi
- 正月飾り — New Year decorations (broader category)