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Muchi
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Muucii(Okinawan: ムーチー/餅), also known as Uni Muucii(Okinawan: 鬼餅, Onimochi), is a type of soft confectionery made of pounded glutinous rice and eaten in Okinawa Prefecture. Muucii means "rice cake" in the Okinawan language, sometimes called Kaasaa Muucii from the fact that it is wrapped in the leaves of shell ginger. After the Muucii is seasoned with brown sugar, white sugar, purple yam and so on, it is wrapped and steamed.
In December, it is eaten as a lucky charm for the prayer of health and longevity. Also, from the end of January to early February of the Gregorian calendar is the coldest season in Okinawa, and it is called Muucii biisa over this period in Okinawan. “Families will prepare Muucii together, making dozens of individual ones called Kaasaa Muucii, and may even make a huge one, called Cikara Muucii, and eat the big one together. The Muucii treats are tied up in string and hung from the ceiling as pretty decorations in the house."[1]
The origin of the Uni Muucii is from a folktale of the main island of Okinawa. It was written about 800 years ago in Cuujoo(Okinawan: チューヨー/球陽, Kyuuyo), which was compiled in the 18th century at the time of Shoo Chii(Shō Kei) reign.[2] It states that a man who moved from Shuri city to Osato city was attacking humans and animals and became a demon known as an Uni. His younger sister was sorrowful and put iron nails in Muucii, which the man loved and fed. Then, she pushed away the brother, who was weakened, to the sea and killed him. From this Okinawan tale, it is also called Uni muucii because Muucii was used to exterminate the uni.