Setsubun

Read in Japanese

February third was Setsubun (節分). It's a whole lot of throwing beans (まめ、豆), chasing ogres (おに、鬼), and celebrating the last day of winter. It's a bit like spring cleaning: you chase the demons that have accumulated out to make room for the good stuff of the new year.  Doro and I went to the Osu Kannon shrine, but not in time to catch the parade (though we did manage to catch six beans to split between us; not quite enough, since you're supposed to eat an amount equal to your age to stay healthy through the next year).

Besides the bean-eating, other traditions include: eating an entire makizushi in silence while facing eastward; and throwing beans shouting "demons out, happy in!" (おにはそと、ふくはうち；鬼は外、福は内). (OK, to be more correct it's something like 'demons out, fortune in', but...) Actually, here in America some people follow the tradition of eating beans on the New Year. Black-eyed peas are supposed to bring good luck (they are beans, despite their name)!

You can read a story about the Demon of Setsubun here. This website also has an option to listen to the story, to improve your listening comprehension (聞き取り)！