Traditionally in Japan, the New Year's days last for seven days.
During this period, the Shimekazari and Kadomatsu are decorated and Osechi dishes are (supposed to be) eaten. Now, we eat osechi dishes and zohni soup only for (less than) three days.
Each of the ingredients have some auspicious meaning.
For example, kazunoko, herring roe, reporesents fertility, kuromame, cooked black beans are for health.
If you try to prepare the osechi from first to finish properly, it will take you several days.
So, nowadays people buy prepared and artificially boxed osechi, or buy cooked ingredients to set in the lacqered container.
The zohni soup contains mochi (rice cake), vegetables and chicken or sea food.
The ingredients and taste of the zohni varies among the region in Japan.
After the New Year's days, we usually eat okayu (rice gruel) cooked with seven spring herbs, such as, seri (Japanese parsley), suzuna (turnip) and suzushiro (radish) to give the overworked stomach a rest. The herbs are sold in a package, while I tried to make my okayu using refrigerator-stored chicken, vegetables and pieces of fish sausage.
