Anyways, yeah, demons. Those are demon masks for dad to wear while the kids throw soybeans at him. You see, yesterday was Setsubun, more properly called Risshun. There was plenty of bean-throwing, bean-eating, demon chasing, and sushi eating to be had. Fun times for all, and hopefully good luck all around.

What is Setsubun, you ask? I wrote all about it here, so go give it a read.

The above post was republished from JapanDave.com, home of the most beautiful daily photos of Japan on the Internet. See the original post: Setsubun and risshun

Demon Cleaning Kits

Setsubun¹ is a time to clean away all the evil of the former year and to chase away all evil spirits. The name literally means “seasonal division” and is celebrated as part of Spring Festival (haru matsuri). In Japan, they once celebrated the Chinese New Year instead of the Western one; Setsubun retains a little of the former celebration.

The main event (at least for kids) is mamemaki, or bean scattering. Roasted soybeans are gathered and thrown around the house and out the windows. Why soybeans? Demons can’t stand the smell evidently. When throwing the beans, people call out “Demons out, luck in!”. One old woman told me that when you throw the beans out the window, you have to be sure to slam the window shut as soon as possible so the evil spirits can’t get back in!

Demon mask and soybeans!

Typically the father of the house will don an Oni mask for the event An oni is a kind of devil in Japanese mythology. The children all enjoy then pelting him with soybeans and chasing him.

Eat Soy Bean, Demon!

After this, everyone has to eat their age in soybeans. Easy enough for the kids, but some old people complain to me that it’s tough to eat that many!

Sushi Time

A more recent tradition is for everyone to face a certain direction (which changes every year in accordance with the [Chinese Zodiac][] and feng shui) and eat a big and long sushi roll. You aren’t allowed to talk while eating. After you finish, good luck will come to you!! This tradition started in Western Japan (in the Kansai area²) but has since spread to most of the country due in no small part to grocery stores and sushi shops who don’t mind selling more sushi rolls every February.

The above post was republished from JapanDave.com, home of the most beautiful daily photos of Japan on the Internet. See the original post: Setsubun