Nanakusa-gayu (Seven Herb Rice Porridge) Coloring Pages

Gentle rice porridge you eat after New Year's

Nanakusa-gayu (Seven Herb Rice Porridge) is a rice porridge with seven types of young greens that you eat on a special day called "Jinjitsu no Sekku" on January 7th. It is a traditional Japanese event that shows the end of the New Year season.

What qualities and symbols does it have?

Nanakusa-gayu (Seven Herb Rice Porridge) has an important meaning. It carries a wish for good health all year long.

• Good Health: By taking the strong life power of the seven herbs into your body, people wish that you can stay healthy and not get sick for a whole year!
• Resting Your Stomach: It also means giving a gentle rest to your stomach after it got tired from eating so many New Year's treats, by eating easy-to-digest rice porridge.
• Blessing of Life Power: In the cold winter, by getting the life power of the seven herbs that sprout earlier than anything else, it means getting full of energy!

Types and Meanings of Nanakusa-gayu (Seven Herb Rice Porridge)

The seven herbs you put in Nanakusa-gayu (Seven Herb Rice Porridge) each have their own meaning and health benefits.

• Seri (Water celery): It sounds like "win," so it brings good luck for winning.
• Nazuna (Shepherd's purse): Also called Penpen-gusa. It is said to ward off bad luck.
• Gogyo (Cudweed): It means the body of Buddha, so it brings great good fortune.
• Hakobera (Chickweed): It means spreading prosperity, so we wish for family prosperity.
• Hotokenoza (Nipplewort): It means Buddha's seat, wishing for a calm and peaceful mind.
• Suzuna (Turnip): Another name for turnip. It means a bell to call God, bringing good luck.
• Suzushiro (Daikon radish): Another name for daikon radish. It stands for spotless purity.

Song for Making Nanakusa-gayu (Seven Herb Rice Porridge)

A long time ago, there was a custom of chopping the seven herbs on a cutting board on the night before making Nanakusa-gayu (Seven Herb Rice Porridge) while singing a song called Nanakusa-bayashi.

How to Choose Colors: Use Greens to Make You Feel Healthy Inside!

For this Nanakusa-gayu (Seven Herb Rice Porridge) coloring page, make the bright green of the seven herbs the main star, and mix in colors that feel nice and warm.

• Porridge colors: Start with white for the porridge. Try adding a little bit of very light yellow or cream color to make it look warm and cozy.
• Seven herbs colors: Use different shades of green for the leaves of the seven herbs, like dark green, yellow-green, and light green. This will make your picture look really cool.
  • Turnips and radishes: Color the roots of Suzuna (turnip) and Suzushiro (daikon radish) with white or light pink.

Background ideas:

• Windows and tables: Use brown or wood colors for a calm look. It will make the green in the Nanakusa-gayu (Seven Herb Rice Porridge) pop!

How to Make It Look 3D: Make It Look Warm and Fresh!

Let's show the warmth of the Nanakusa-gayu (Seven Herb Rice Porridge) and the fresh, lively greens. Places in the shadow:

• Add darker colors for shadows in deep spots, like under the bowl or on the backs of the leaves. This makes the round bowl and the leaves look 3D!

Places where light hits:

• Use bright colors or leave paper white on places where light shines, like the top of the porridge or the tips of the leaves. This shows the warm steam and the fresh, lively herbs!

Let's Add Textures!

Colored pencils: Look closely at the shapes of the leaves and roots. If you carefully color the veins in the leaves and the tiny details, they will look like real vegetables! Steam: For the steam lines, leave them white or color them gently with a very light gray to show how warm it is.

Tips for Having Fun with Your Coloring Page!

• Learn the Seven Herbs!
  • Try writing the names of each of the seven herbs on your coloring page! You can learn them all while you play.