This January, we brought in the new year with a virtual Soh Daiko celebration in place of our annual mochitsuki event. Mochitsuki is a traditional New Year’s celebration where mochi is made by steaming rice, pounding it with a large mallet in a stone bowl (called the usu), and molding the fresh mochi into edible bites complete with fillings and toppings.
At past mochitsuki, we invited former Soh Daiko members to the New York Buddhist Church for a day of drumming, singing, making mochi, and eating. Although we were unable to gather in-person this year, we took this time to catch up with one another and revisit old memories over Zoom. We even put together a virtual board of all the things our Soh Daiko family wishes for the group in the year ahead, some of them sillier than others but all reflective of our love for Soh Daiko.
Looking forward, our current members are already hard at work strengthening our technique, rehearsing our repertoire, and preparing for future live performances. We are keeping safe and social distanced with virtual practices, and we wish you all a safe and happy year ahead.
