５月３日（木曜日）２０１８
ご近所の和菓子屋さん「風月堂」に「特製ちまき」の張り紙がしてあり、端午の節句に因み早速購入しました。ネット情報によるとちまきの由来は古く平安時代からとのこと。元は中国からで「屈原（くつげん）」という詩人で民衆に慕われた政治家の話しです。屈原は陰謀により失脚させられ入水自殺してしまいます。悲しんだ民衆は屈原の亡霊が魚に食べられないように米を笹の葉に包んで川に投げ込み弔ったそうで、それが５月５日の出来事だったということです。これが「災いを祓う風習」となりました。昔日本では笹ではなく茅（かや）の葉に包んでいたので「ちがやまき」と呼ばれていたとのこと。それが後に邪気を祓う笹を使うようになり中身も餅や餅の中に餡をいれたりして変わってきたようです。子供が元気にすくすく育つように、うちも風月堂のおじさん手作りの特製ちまきを床の間のお人形にお供えしました。I saw a sign "Special made Chimaki (wrapped cake in bamboo leaves)" in front of the Japanese sweet shop "Fugetsudoo" which is near my cafe. Since the day after tomorrow is Children's Day, I bought the bundle of Chimaki there. According to information from the internet, the origin of Chimaki goes way back to the Heian period in Japan and it comes from the story of Kutsugen in China who was a poet and beloved politician by the people. He fell from power because of a conspiracy and subsequently committed suicide by drowning. People who felt sorrow for him wrapped rice in bamboo leaves and threw them into the river so that his spirit would not be eaten by fish, and that was on May fifth. This became a ritual for keeping away harm. In the old days, Japanese people wrapped rice by "Kaya no ha ( thatch leave)', so they called it as "Chigayamaki". Later on, they used bamboo leaves instead which was known as protection from evil. They also changed the inside to the rice cake. I offered the Chimaki which was made by the master of Fugetsudo to the warrior dolls in the alcove praying for the children in the world to grow up happily and healthily.
