Nanakusa-No-sekku

The festival of the seven grasses (七草の節句, nanakusa No sekku ) is a very old Japanese habit which consists in eating a kayu with the seven-grasses (七草粥, nanakusa-gayu ) on January 7th ( Jinjitsu ).

The nanakusa are seven edible wild grasses of spring. Traditionally, it is:

Oenanthe ( seri , Oenanthe javanica )
Shepherd's purse ( nazuna , Capsella Bursa-pastoris )
Gnaphalium ( gogyo , Gnaphalium refines )
Chickweed ( will hakobera , Stellaria media )
Lampsane commune ( hotokenoza , Lapsana apogonoides )
Navet ( suzuna )
Daikon ( suzushiro , Raphanus sativus VAr. longipinnatus)

There exist many alternatives.
The morning of January 7th, or the day before, one places the nanakusa, the spatula with rice, and/or a mortar on the board to be cut out and, by facing the direction of the chance, one sings " Before the birds of the continent fly away towards Japon" by chopping grasses finely. This song varies too.

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