Setsubun: Bean-Throwing Festival

I had an experience to go to Nakayama Temple in Takarazuka city where I am living and attended the ceremony called “Setsubun”, bean-scattering ceremony celebrating the coming of spring on February 3rd with my fellow Rotary club members. It is the first time for me to attend this traditional festival at a temple to through soybeans from the special stage to the people who come to the ceremony. I was wearing “Kamishimo” which is traditional clothing from ancient times. While chanting a Buddhist sutra, the performance started. In the performance, evil demons acted violently but then they changed their mind and behaved better thanks to the song by singers from the Takarazuka Review. Then the “Fukuotoko”,a happy man, including me came out and threw soybeans to the people. 

The following quote is taken from Wikipedia: 

In Japan, Setsubun (節分) is the day before the beginning of each season. The name literally means "seasonal division", but usually the term refers to the spring Setsubun, properly called Risshun (立春) celebrated yearly on February 3 as part of the Spring Festival (春祭 haru matsuri?). In its association with the Lunar New Year, Spring Setsubun can be thought of (and was previously thought of) as a sort of New Year's Eve, and so was accompanied by a special ritual to cleanse away all the evil of the former year and drive away disease-bringing evil spirits for the year to come. This special ritual is called mamemaki (豆撒き, lit. bean scattering). Mamemaki is usually performed by the toshiotoko (年男) of the household (i.e. the male who was born on the corresponding animal year on the Chinese zodiac), or else the male head of the household. Roasted soybeans (called irimame 炒り豆) are thrown either out the door or at a member of the family wearing an Oni (demon or ogre) mask, while the throwers chant "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" (鬼は外! 福は内!). The literal meaning of the words is something like "Demons out! Luck in!" The beans are thought to symbolically purify the home by driving away the evil spirits that bring misfortune and bad health with them. Then, as part of bringing luck in, it is customary to eat soybeans, one for each year of one's life, and in some areas, one for each year of one's life, plus one more for bringing good luck for the year to come. 

Comments

[Jane]

What an interesting blog you have. I found you via Youtube.

I am particularly interested in the culture and crafts section as I am a student of traditional Japanese embroidery in the UK.
I am going to enjoy visiting again to read the rest of these posts.