🍡 Kashiwa-mochi (Mochi Wrapped with Oak Leaf)
There is a festival called "Ta no Kami Matsuri", held mainly by children to celebrate successful completion of rice planting. In 15 villages in Obama City and upper-middle of Wakasa Town, it is held on their own holidays like "Gogatsu Yasumi" (holiday in May) or "Yasungyou" (off from work). They carry their "mikoshi" (portable shrine) with chanting their own "hayashi kotoba" (meaningless words to maintain the rhythm of chant) and walk along homes and rice fields. It is the festival rarely seen in other areas in Japan. When they have festivals during mid-May to early July, every home prepared "Kashiwa-mochi" to offer the god of fields. Even in the villages not having "mikoshi" parade by children, it is made during the various holiday like "hangeshou" (the 11th day from summer solstice), "noagari" (12days off after rice planting in July and after rice harvest in November), or "Doro-otoshi" (days off after rice planting), and distributed to relatives like wife’s parents or daughter’s family in law. Oak leaves are good for preservation because of its antibacterial and antiseptic effects, and they don’t fall down although they dried, so it was believed that oak was protected by the god of tree. Therefore, it is considered as a lucky food to wish for prosperity of descendants.