Setsubun(節分)

In Japan the festival “Setsubun”(節分) is held on February 3.
Setsubun literally means “seasonal division” and it is celebrated on the day before the beginning of a new season according to the lunisolar Japanese calendar. That means there are four days called Setsubun in a year. But the one celebrated in today’s Japan is the one heralding spring.
Spring marks the start of a new life-cycle and was therefore also considered the beginning of a new year. That makes Setsubun in February New Year’s Eve and the first day of spring corresponds to New Year’s Day.

In Japanese and Chinese astrology, which often uses the old calendar, the new year begins after Setsubun. This day was traditionally used as the starting point to determine the fortune for the year ahead.
Like many other things in Japan this calendar originated in China and was used by the people in order to know when to sow the fields, when to harvest and many other things having to do with nature and the changing seasons.
The year was divided into 24 sections with each section further split into three subdivisions. These 72 microseasons only last around 5 days each and have very poetic names like “Mist starts to linger” (Feb 24th – 28th), “Earth is damp, air is humid” (July 29th – August 2nd) (how very true!) or “Crickets chirp around the door” (October 18th – 22nd).

So how exactly do the Japanese celebrate the beginning of spring?
The best-known ritual is mamemaki or “bean throwing”. People throw roasted soybeans out from the front door of their homes while shouting “Devils out! Fortune in!” In Kyoto you can have a chance to see geiko and maiko at various temples and shrines performing this ritual. It’s said to bring good luck to catch a small bag full of beans thrown during such occasions.
There is a deep relationship between Setsubun and demons. Since ancient times these ogres were feared as they were believed to bring misfortune and diseases and therefore had to be driven away. One theory why beans were thought to be effective against demons is an old tale from Kurama Temple in Kyoto. When an ogre appeared there, people were able to drive it away by throwing soybeans into his eyes. That’s how people started throwing roasted beans on Setsubun. This ritual is performed in the evening as it is well known that ogres only appear after dark 😉

Another way to keep those evil beings out of the house is to hang the head of a sardine (after having eaten the rest of it) together with a holly twig outside your entrance door. Apparently, the smell of sardines is disliked by demons and thus keeps them away.
When walking through Kyoto around the beginning of February, keep an eye out to see if you can find these decorations near front doors.

(『桃太郎豆蒔之図』月岡芳年 画)

Sources:
https://www.ibasen.co.jp/de/pages/2306_setsubun?srsltid=AfmBOoq6WwFRTDyW-WriAPQ2nCHLqA9aZQhH-MosAs5aFlHdztsw1KU_
https://www.seattle.us.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/2021_Setsubun.html
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2285.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Setsubun

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