Setsubun
FestivalThe Japan Society | Education Resources| education@japansociety.org.uk| www.japansociety.org.uk© The
Japan Society (2022).

Setsubun is a festival celebrated between the 2-4 February in Japan, dependingon the year. The name means ‘division of the seasons’ and it marks the end of
the coldest winter months and the beginning of spring. There used to be four
setsubun festivals, one for each change of season, but now only one is celebrated.

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February is a cold winter month in Japan and it is easy to get sick orcatch a cold. In the past, it was believed that bad luck and illness
were caused by demons (called oni in Japanese) so people would
wish for good health and fortune around this time.
Setsubun marks the beginning of spring and the cherry blossom is a symbol ofspring in Japan. What are some things that remind you think of spring?

Decorations
Around this time of the year, you may find small decorations made of cooked
sardine heads and holly leaves just outside people’s homes. These are called hiragi
iwashi which literally means ‘holly sardine’. There is a belief that demons dislikethe strong smell of sardines and fear the sharp and pointy holly leaves, so people
put up the talisman outside their home to ward off evil.

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What do people do?
One of the main activities on Setsubun is mamemaki or bean
throwing. Roasted soybeans called fukumame or ‘fortune beans’ arebelieved to have the power to purify and drive away evil spirits whobring bad luck and bad health. The beans are either thrown out of
the front door or at people who are dressed up as oni (demons).
At home, one member of the family (usually a parent) wears the oni
mask and the rest of the family will chase them as they shout “oni wa

soto, fuku wa uchi!” This means “demons out, good luck in!” Later on,each person will eat some of the beans – the same number as their age.

Many people will also eat a long, uncut sushi roll called ehomaki or ‘lucky directionroll’ for setsubun. They are supposed to be eaten in one go without speaking whilst
facing the lucky direction of that year! They are said to bring good luck and people
make a wish as they eat.

Pronunciation
Oni: on-nee
Mamemaki: mah-may-mah-key
Fukumame: foo-koo-mah-may
Ehomaki: air-ho-mah-key

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Kanji Characters
In Japanese, the kanji characters for Setsubun are 節分. Setsu means ‘season’. Bunmeans ‘to divide’. Together the two characters means ‘division of the seasons’.
You can practice writing the characters below. Follow the stroke order to trace thecharacters first, then try on your own.

節分節分①② ④⑤③⑦⑥⑧⑨⑩①③1312②

④11

setsu

bun

Below are the kanji characters for mame (beans) and oni (demon) – why not try
writing them?

豆豆鬼鬼
①②③

④

⑦

⑥⑤

mame

③② ⑤⑥①④⑨⑦⑩⑧

oniThe JapanSociety
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Origami Challenge: Oni
You will need:••origami paper or square paper
colouring pencils or pens

3. Folddown.
1. Fold in half tomake a creaseline then unfold.

2. Fold inhalf.

4. Use the crease pointfrom step 1 as yourguide and fold down.

5. Fold up along
dotted lines onboth sides.

6. Fold in on
both sides
and flipover.
7. Folddown.

8. Foldup.

9. Fold
down.
10. Finish bydrawing theoni face.

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Activity: Mamemaki Challenge
You might not be able to throw beans around at home but try thisalternative mamemaki challenge!
How to play
1. Place an empty bowl on the circle below
2. Scatter some dried beans or pasta around the bowl
3. Use chopsticks to pick up the beans or pasta andmove them into the bowl. You should move one bean for each year ofyour age.
Extra challenge : Set a timer for one minute and finish before the timeruns out!

Place your bowl
inside this circle.

Don’t try eating dried beans - in Japan they sell special, edible
roasted setsubun beans!

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Activity: Make an oni mask
Colour in the mask below and then ask an adult to cut it out
following the edge and the dotted lines and thread elastic or string
through the ear holes so you can wear it.
Top tip: Oni usually have blue or red faces!

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Society
Education
Resources| education@japansociety.org.uk| www.japansociety.org.uk© The
Japan|Society(2022)| www.japansociety.org.uk| education@japansociety.org.uk