🍱 Nanairo Oae

This is one of offering dishes during "obon" (mid-August) in Shingon Buddhism. "Nanairo" (=seven colors) indicates seven kinds of season vegetables (e.g. eggplant, pumpkin, gobou (=burdock root), carrot, green beans, "zuiki"(=Japanese taro stem), "myoga" (=Japanese ginger), etc., and "oae" means "aemono" (=mixed salad with dressing). People called "aemono" "oae" in Nara Prefecture, and mixed vegetables with dressing made from ground sesame seed, miso and sugar. It was very luxurious to offer dishes used seven vegetables during the time of food shortage. They pick up "sonjo-san" (=spirit) at the grave in the evening of August 13th, offer food in the evening, "Ossan" (=Buddhist monk) visits the grave on 14th, and burn ceremonial bonfire to send the spirit back to the grave on 15th. The way to offer and what to offer vary in the area and home, but they offer "antsuke-mochi" (= mochi covered with sweet red bean paste), dumplings or "ohagi" (=rice ball covered with sweet red bean paste) in many areas as a welcome dumpling or hospitality dumpling on 13th.