Japanese festivals
Conventional nengaj greetings include:
kotoshi mo yoroshiku o-negai-shimasu (?) (I hope for your favour again in the
coming year)
(shinnen) akemashite o-medet-gozaimasu (()?) (Happiness to you on the
dawn [of a New Year])
kinga shinnen (?) (Happy New Year)
shoshun (?) (literally "early spring")
On New Year's Day, Japanese people have a custom of giving money to children. This is
known as otoshidama (, otoshidama?). It is handed out in small decorated envelopes called
'pochibukuro,' similar to Goshugi bukuro or Chinese red envelopes and to the Scottish
handsel. In the Edo period large stores and wealthy families gave out a small bag of mochi
and a Mandarin orange to spread happiness all around. The amount of money given depends
on the age of the child but is usually the same if there is more than one child so that no one
feels slighted.
Mochi
Another custom is creating rice cakes (, mochi?). Boiled sticky rice (, mochigome?) is put
annaabi.ee 
