Zenzari - Himawariri Summer Competition Celebration

Among the Ryukyuri people, summer brings the annual Zenzari - Himawariri Competition Celebration. In other areas around the Ryukyuri Islands, zenzari is traditionally served as warm soup of red beans, brown sugar, and rice cakes. Within the islands it is modified to be a cold dish. While the himawariri is a spectacular display of percussive lights in the sky best observed at night (what we would call fireworks).
Mages for different schools compete on several levels, between the ice for the zenzari, to the colorful and percussive himawariri, they put on a display. For the zenzari, mages compete to see who has the coldest, fluffiest, most delicious ice for the cooled red bean soup to be poured over. Another local modification is replacing the rice cakes with a style called mochiri which is a slightly sweet, very chewy substance made for glutinous rice. The different magic schools color their mochiri based on their school colors to make their dishes stand out from their competitors. All the schools then use himawariri to bring another level to their dish.
As judges begin to taste the individual schools prepared dish, mages trigger the himawariri display that correspond to their school’s mochiri color for the judge to experience a physical and visual sensation to pair this with the corresponding taste sensation. For example, a judge tasting the red zenzari will be presented the zenzari by the school’s senior mage while the most junior mage will fire off the himawariri when the judge takes their first bite. This provides the judge a visual experience of red himawariri exploding spectacularly in the sky while they bite into the zenzari and red mochiri.
Competition is judged by senior mages from schools not involved in the competition, the king’s representatives (sometimes to include the king and queen) a council of Naturals. Dishes are judged on flavor and texture while displays are judged on richness of color and uniqueness of formation. Then the overall dish and display are judged on taste, feel and percussive sensation.
After the death of a judge one year (from what was called ‘popping showers’), and an accidentally VERY large fire another year, several rules were put in place for the competition. Himawariri displays had to be a specified distance away from the judges and spectators as well as only allowed to be a maximum specific size, and they could not be included IN the food.
After the competition, as judges and spectators freely enjoy the dishes, the mages add smoke into the display, if you would imagine a dragon that forms then breathes himawariri… I think you get the idea.

Participants

Mage schools

Observance

Summer solstice