Casual — to friend
Cultural · Dining
海老は腰が曲がるまで長生きできますようにっていう願いが込められてるの。 — Shrimp carries the wish to live long enough for your back to curve like the shrimp's. (Cultural · Dining, Casual — to friend, JLPT N4)
You
海老は腰が曲がるまで長生きできますようにっていう願いが込められてるの。
えびはこしがまがるまでながいきできますようにっていうねがいがこめられてるの。
Shrimp carries the wish to live long enough for your back to curve like the shrimp's.
Romaji: Ebi wa koshi ga magaru made nagaiki dekimasu you ni tte iu negai ga komerareteru no. / Reply Romaji: Naruhodo, katachi kara kiteru n da ne.
Reply
なるほど、形からきてるんだね。
なるほど、かたちからきてるんだね。
I see, it comes from the shape, huh.
Gesture & etiquette
Casual New Year home setting. Point at the shrimp dish with the serving chopsticks (取り箸) or an open hand. Pass small plates between people with both hands.
海老 in osechi symbolizes 長寿 (longevity) — the cooked shrimp's curved back mirrors the posture of the elderly. Other osechi items: 数の子 (herring roe) = many descendants; 田作り (small dried sardines) = bountiful rice harvest; 紅白かまぼこ = celebration colors; 伊達巻き = rolled scrolls of learning. Each year's osechi tells a wish for the family.