Catherine-Setsubun

Snowy Setsubun

Yesterday it snowed in Tokyo! What a treat to wake up and see white outside the window. My first impulse was to run and ask "Is school cancelled yet?!" My host brother and I had a snowball fight and built a snowman, (which we named Yukidaruma-san).

By evening most of the snow had turned to slush. My host family and I decided to brave the cold and go to the temple for the Setsubun holiday. We threw soybeans off the balcony, yelling "Fuku wa uchi, oni wa soto!" ("Good luck in, devil out!") We also performed the same ritual at home with my host dad, who was lucky enough to get to wear the oni (devil) costume while we threw soybeans at him. For dinner we ate makizushi, which is traditional for the holiday. We ate in silence while facing the SE (the lucky direction for this year). I asked my host family how this "lucky direction" is determined. They weren't sure so we looked it up online. Apparently, it is determined by the zodiac sign for the year. We all learned something new!

About Setsubun:
Setsubun is celebrated yearly on or around February 3. The day before the lunar New Year, Setsubun is considered to be like a "New Year's Eve." On this day, all across Japan people cast out the evil spirits from their home by performing mamemaki, soy bean throwing. The same ritual is also performed at Shinto Shrines and Buddhist temples.

Facts about Setsubun were taken from Wikipedia.

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