| "Setsubun"(The day before the beginning of Spring) Setsubun is a traditional Japanese event observed on February 3rd or 4th, which is the day before the beginning of spring. On this day, people hold a bean-throwing ceremony in the belief that it will scare off demons. The ceremony is performed to ward off evil, including disease and disaster, which people are apt to suffer from around the turn of the season. Although bean-throwing ceremonies differ from region to region, the most common style is described below. On Setsubun, people dedicate dried beans before a household Shinto altar, and when night falls the family members scatter the beans inside and outside the house while chanting "Fuku wa uchi (In with good luck), Oni wa soto (Out with demons)." Then, each family member eats a number of beans equivalent to his/her age plus one. This is done because there is a saying that people can overcome disease if they eat the number of beans that is the same as their age plus one for a newly-started year. In addition, for Setsubun there is another custom that involves decorating the front door of houses with the head of a broiled sardine pierced with a holly branch. Today, however, it seems that this custom isn't practiced very widely. It came from a legend that said demons hate holly branches, which could poke out their eyes, and the smell of sardines   Setsubun was originally a custom brought from China. It is written in Zokunihonki (a sequel that chronicles Japan) that Setsubun was first held in Japan in the 8th century, as an imperial event. In the year 709, a plague spread and many people died, so people observed Setsubun as an event named Oniyarai that was believed to have the power to drive away demons. Later, many shrines and temples came to hold a bean-throwing ceremony on the night of Setsubun. During the Edo period (1603-1868), it became widespread among common people, and it has continued and been widely practiced since.These days, traditional Japanese events typically feature one of two different varieties of demons. One is a "dreadful demon" and the other is a "demon that brings good luck."For most Setsubun events use of the former is common, however there are some regions that have adopted the latter and hold Setsubun ceremonies to welcome the demons. For example, there is one area in Tokyo that holds a bean-throwing ceremony in which people chant "Oni wa uchi (In with demons), Fuku wa uchi (In with good luck)."When we look at other traditional events, there are some demons thought to bring good luck such as Namahage in Akita, Toshinokami in Kagoshima (Yakushima) and Akamata,Kuromata in Okinawa. The uniqueness in individual regional ceremonies has emerged from the different traditions that have shaped these regions. Although these differences in the various Setsubun ceremonies are very interesting, it seems that all of the ceremonies share common ground in that they involve self-reflection and the wish to drive out one's own evil spirits, in order to enjoy a happy life. End |
