Unless one travels to the Orient or studies the culture, one may not be aware of all the unique and rich holidays that are part of its tradition. In this article, we are going to talk about a Japanese holiday called “setsubun.” Setsubun in Japan is celebrated the day before each new season, but is traditionally celebrated on February 3 for the spring season.
On February 3, people across Japan will celebrate Setsubun by throwing and eating roasted soybeans. It is a time of driving away evil and welcoming in good luck for the new year.
Each year, on February 3, the Japanese perform a special ritual called “mamemaki” to cleanse and drive away evil. Mamemaki typically involves throwing roasted soybeans (called “irimame”) out the door of a house. Sometimes the beans are thrown at a household member instead, who wears an “oni” (ogre or demon) mask that symbolizes evil. The soybeans are said to purify the spot or home where they are thrown. The person throwing the soybeans recites the words, “Demons go away! Luck come in!” After this is done, the Japanese typically sit down and eat the irimame - one bean for each year of their life plus one for the coming year. Households, temples and shrines across the land of Japan will perform this fascinating ritual on February 3.