What is Setsubun – Culture in Short

Hello! how are they? Welcome to RoYuMi and if you are here it is because you want to know what Setsubun is (You can watch the video or continue reading below)

Setsubun is a traditional festival in Japan that falls just one day before the start of spring according to the Japanese lunar calendar. Normally this day falls between the 2nd , 3rd or 4th of February . Setsubun literally means the separation of the seasons , that is, the separation of winter and spring. This event marks the beginning of spring , driving away the evil spirits of the previous year.

Around the 13th century it became a tradition in Japan to ward off evil spirits by hanging sardine heads, burning wood, or making noise with drums. This custom is no longer so popular, although you can still see some houses in whose entrances people put these burned sardine heads.

Currently, the Setsubun is celebrated through a very particular ritual that consists of throwing roasted beans on the ground . For this ritual, it is normally the head of the family who throws these beans, although sometimes also, depending on the family or the region in which you are, the father dresses as an ” Oni “, which are this kind of yokai , demon or ogre from Japanese folklore. He is usually depicted in red or blue with a club in his hand and one or more horns protruding from his head. They are a symbol of the dark side, that is, evil spirits.

Whenever the father dresses as an oni (demon) it is the children who throw beans at him while shouting: “Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi!” which means “Let the “oni” or evil spirits go away and happiness or good fortune come.

Soybeans symbolize the purification of the home from these evil spirits and from any misfortunes from the previous year.

There is a children’s song called ” Mamemaki ” that practically talks about this whole ritual that the ” oni ” that come and that one, by throwing the beans, scares them away.

To ensure good luck or good fortune in the new year that is beginning, each family member eats one bean for each year of their life , and sometimes they eat an extra bean for the year that has just begun.

As it is not a holiday, normally it is the shrines or the temples that organize these events and sometimes some kindergarten, kindergarten and even some elementary schools also hold these events.

Another widespread custom for this day is to eat a sushi roll called ” Ehomaki ” which is normally filled with tuna, cucumber, shrimp and many other ingredients, which are normally seven because they represent the 7 Deities of Fortune in Japan . These rolls are very very wide, you must eat it without speaking and looking in the direction of good fortune , which changes depending on the year. This year (2021) is South-Southeast .

The Setsubun is an event that marks the beginning of spring . In fact, some businesses, stores or even post offices, everywhere the spring atmosphere is already present. The brands are already bringing out their products with spring flavors: cherry, plum, etc. Everything looks so beautiful that you even feel that the cold is gone just by seeing that spring will soon arrive.

What do you think of this celebration?