Virna333 - VIRNA333

People once believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes, something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul can’t rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes, the crow can bring that soul back to put the wrong things right.


THE CROW (1994) dir. Alex Proyas

16th June is “The Day of Sweets”

Looking at the history, it was in the Heian period(1,000years ago) that the events that started Japanese sweets day began. The epidemic was widespread in Japan, and Emperor Nimei changed the year name to Kajo. On June 16th of that year, 16 sweets and rice cakes were prepared to pray for disease prevention and health, and after that, on June 16th, a culture of “Kasho confectionery” that eats sweets in hopes of evil can be created.

In the Edo period, it became popular as “The Day of Kasho”. In the Shogunate, 20,000 sweets were lined up in the large hall of Edo Castle and distributed to daimyo and more. This “The Day of Kasho” culture, which had been held until the Meiji era but has since been abolished, was revived as “Japanese confectionery day” in 1979.

As expected, 16 can’t be eaten, but every year Japanese sweets day is a day when you can eat a lot of Japanese sweets, so you can’t wait.

歴史を調べると、和菓子の日のきっかけとなった行事が始まったのはなんと平安時代。日本で疫病が蔓延し、仁明天皇は年号を嘉祥(かじょう)と改めました。その年の6月16日に16個のお菓子やお餅を備え疫病除けと健康を祈り、それ以降、6月16日に厄除けを願ってお菓子を食べる「嘉祥菓子」の文化ができました。 江戸時代になり、「嘉祥の日」として親しまれるようになります。幕府では江戸城の大広間に2万個ものお菓子が並べられ、大名や旗本に配られたのだそう。明治時代までは行われていたものの、その後廃れてしまったこの「嘉祥の日」の文化は昭和54年に「和菓子の日」として復活しました。

さすがに16個も食べられないものの、毎年和菓子の日は和菓子をたくさん食べられる日として、とても待ち遠しくなります。

Art by  Leopoldo D'Angelo