The Japanese celebrate New Year Day (Oshogatsu) with a traditional feast called Osechi Ryori (おせち料理). It is the most important meal of the year, with each dish carrying its own story and meaning, carefully chosen to bring health, happiness, and prosperity in the year ahead. It takes several days to prepare starting from 12/27 to 12/31. The idea is to prep everything before New Year so that mom can rest and enjoy the feast with family on New Year's Day. I usually make Osech every year, but during the move or covid-19, I skipped making the full feast or just made a simple version.