Question
What is the special meal for New Year? What for?
Answer
The special meal for New Year is called ‘osechi ryori’（おせちりょうり・御節料理）.
Mum usually starts to make it about a week before 1st of January and finishes by the end of 31st of December.
It is a hard work because it has to be enough for everybody in the family for the first three days during New Year, when mum can be free from cooking and have a rest.