Hanami Dango (花見団子)

Mar 31, 2018 13:02
Japanese people often eat 団子 (dango - dumpling) while 花見 (hanami - cherry blossom viewing).

This kind of dumplings is called 花見団子 (hanami dango), and it has become basic food in "hanami" since the Edo period.

In many cases, "hanami dango" is composed of three color dumplings, and they are usually skewered by a bamboo skewer.

These colors of dumplings are cherry-pink, white and green in order from the top, and it is said that they represent spring, winter and summer, respectively.

There is also another theory that all three colors represent spring -- cherry-pink is cherry blossoms, white is the sky of spring, and green is Artemisia indica.
花見団子

日本人は花見の際、よく団子を食べます。

この団子は「花見団子」と呼ばれ、江戸時代からの定番となっています。

多くの場合、花見団子は3色の団子が一つの串に刺さったものとなっています。

団子の色は上から順に、桜色、白色、緑色となっており、それぞれ春、冬、夏の季節を表しているという説が一般的です。

また、桜色は桜、白色は春の空、緑色はよもぎで、3色全てが春を表しているという説もあります。
No. 1 Trav
  • Japanese people often eat 団子 (dango - dumpling) while 花見 (hanami - cherry blossom viewing).
  • Japanese people often eat a kind of dumpling called dango (団子) while they enjoy the traditional custom of cherry blossom viewing, or hanami (花見).

    I think that it reads better in English to put the English description of the Japanese words first, but it's just a preference.

  • This kind of dumplings is called 花見団子 (hanami dango), and it has become basic food in "hanami" since the Edo period.
  • The kind of dango eaten during the cherry blossom viewing is called hanami dango (花見団子), and it has been a staple of hanami since the Edo period.
  • In many cases, "hanami dango" is composed of three color dumplings, and they are usually skewered by a bamboo skewer.
  • In many cases, hanami dango is composed of three differently colored dango that are skewered on a bamboo skewer.
  • These colors of dumplings are cherry-pink, white and green in order from the top, and it is said that they represent spring, winter and summer, respectively.
  • In order from the top, the colors of the dango are cherry-pink, white, and green, and it is said that they represent spring, winter, and summer, respectively.

    I think the commas I added make the sentence clearer.

  • There is also another theory that all three colors represent spring -- cherry-pink is cherry blossoms, white is the sky of spring, and green is Artemisia indica.
  • There is also another theory that all three colors represent spring -- cherry-pink is cherry blossoms, white is the spring sky, and green is Japanese mugwort (Artemisia indica).

    I tried to find the common English name for Artemisia indica. I'm not sure if it is correct.

    Here is another option:

    "...and green is the Japanese herb called yomogi (よもぎ) or Artemisia indica in Latin."

Hi Toru! You're writing is very good. I enjoyed learning about hanami dango. Most of my suggestions were either stylistic preferences or phrases that would make it read more smoothly and sound more natural.

Toru
Thank you so much for the corrections and explanations!
Actually, the reason why I use quotation marks for Japanese terms is because some Japanese words are very confusing when they are included in English sentences. For example, there are "to" (と/戸 - and/door), "no" (の/野 - of/field), "shake" (鮭 - salmon), etc. If it's possible, I want to use italics instead of quotation marks.
Trav
Good point! I can see how that would get confusing.

Have a great day!
No. 2 メラメラ丸

質問です。
違う色のお団子はみんな同じ味わいですか。
勝手に桜色のお団子がイチゴ味がすると思い込んでいますけれど(´∀`*)

Toru
こんにちは、スイちゃん。
もともとは全て白色で、ほんのり甘い味がします。
安い花見団子は合成着色料で色を付けるので、どれも同じ味です。

和菓子屋などで売っている少し高級な花見団子の場合、
桜色のものは赤しそ、緑色のものはよもぎなどが使われます。

このため、桜色の団子はイチゴ味ではなくて梅味ですね~。