Setsubun, the Japanese Bean-Throwing Festival
Setsubun is a traditional Japanese festival celebrated on February 3 each year, marking the transition from winter to spring. This observance takes place at the end of Daikan, a period of severe cold, and one day before Risshun, which signals the beginning of spring. With origins tracing back to the Muromachi period (1392–1573) and even older Chinese ceremonies, Setsubun serves as a time for purification and the exorcism of evil spirits, particularly demons and ogres, believed to hinder new beginnings.
The festival is characterized by the custom of throwing soybeans, either on the ground or outside the home, to drive away these malevolent forces. While it resembles a New Year's Eve tradition, Setsubun has become less prominent in modern times due to the influence of the Gregorian calendar and the celebration of New Year's on December 31. This cultural event reflects the importance of seasonal change and renewal in Japanese society, inviting individuals to engage in rituals that promote hope and new growth for the year ahead.
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Setsubun, the Japanese Bean-Throwing Festival
Setsubun, the Japanese Bean-Throwing Festival
Setsubun, a traditional Japanese observance marking the coming of Spring, takes place on February 3 of every year. It falls at the end of that portion of the Japanese solar calendar known as Daikan (severe cold), and is celebrated one day before the portion known as Risshun (spring begins). It dates back to the Muromachi period (1392–1573) of Japanese history but has roots that are even older, going back to Chinese ceremonies of the Zhou dynasty (1067–256 b.c.). Setsubun also generally precedes the lunar New Year, though the two do not always coincide. It is a time for the people to purify themselves and exorcise evil spirits such as demons and ogres that might stand in the way of spring planting in particular and the new year in general. In this context beans—usually soybeans—are tossed on the ground or out the door of the house by participants in the celebration to drive off the evil spirits.
Setsubun is essentially a kind of New Year's Eve tradition, although in modern times it has been somewhat eclipsed by the Japanese adoption of the Gregorian calendar and the widespread observance of December 31 as New Year's Eve.