Revived Japan

The day prior to the start of spring in Japan’s traditional calendar is known as #Setsubun (節分) which translates to ‘seasonal division’. While Setsubun used to refer to a wider range of possible dates, it is now typically celebrated on February 3, with the day after being known as Risshun (立春), the first day of spring in the old calendar.

Every year, Japan celebrates Setsubun and Risshun as part of the spring festival. It’s not the official Lunar New Year, but Setsubun is often considered similar because of its cultural links to the end of the previous year and the start of the new spring season. To ward off bad luck and evil spirits for the upcoming year, Setsubun was accompanied by a number of rituals and traditions performed at various levels.

Mamemaki (豆撒き), translating to ‘bean scattering’, is the main tradition associated with the celebration of Setsubun where roasted soybeans, also known as Fukumame (福豆), or ‘fortune beans’ are either thrown out the front door or at a family member wearing an Oni (demon or ogre) mask while yelling ‘Devils out! Fortune in!’ (鬼は外! 福は内! Oni wa soto! Fuku wa Uchi!). By chasing away the evil spirits that bring disaster and ill health, the beans are said to symbolically purify the home. Then, it is common to eat one roasted soybean for each year that you’ve lived, and plus one to provide luck for the entire year.

While families celebrate at home, major Setsubun events draw massive crowds to shrines across Japan. At Senso-ji in Tokyo and Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto, thousands gather as celebrities, sumo wrestlers, and priests toss roasted soybeans from temple stages. In Kyoto, the event often begins with an apprentice geisha performing a traditional dance before joining in the bean-throwing ritual.

There are a lot of additional, sometimes more niche traditions that are part of the celebration and observance of Setsubun. Some of these customs are local, like the Kansai tradition of eating uncut Makizushi rolls known as Ehomaki (lucky direction roll, 恵方巻) in silence while facing the year’s lucky compass direction, which is determined by the zodiac symbol of that year.