Setsubun

Setsubun
is the day before the beginning of spring in the old calendar in Japan. The name literally means 'seasonal division', referring to the day just before the first day of spring in the traditional calendar, known as ; though previously referring to a wider range of possible dates, is now typically held on February 3 (in 2021 it was on 2nd February), with the day after – the first day of spring in the old calendar – known as . Both and are celebrated yearly as part of the Spring Festival in Japan. In its association with the Lunar New Year though not the official New Year, was thought of as similar in its ritual and cultural associations of 'cleansing' the previous year as the beginning of the new season of spring. was accompanied by a number of rituals and traditions held at various levels to drive away the previous year's bad fortunes and evil spirits for the year to come.
History
has its origins in , a Chinese custom introduced to Japan in the 8th century. It was quite different from the known today. According to the Japanese history book , was first held in Japan in 706, and it was an event to ward off evil spirits held at the court on the last day of the year according to the lunar-solar calendar. At that time, was an event to drive away evil spirits that brought misfortune and disease by decorating each gate of the palace with clay figures of cows and children and using peach branches and walking sticks.
The custom of as we know it today began in the Muromachi period (1336–1573). Every household of the aristocracy and samurai class threw beans from their houses into the open air. The , a dictionary compiled during the Muromachi period, states that the practice of bean-throwing during originated from a legend in the 10th century, during the reign of Emperor Uda, that a monk on Mt. Kurama escaped misfortune by blinding with roasted beans. The Japanese word for bean is pronounced , which can be written as , and some believe that the pronunciation is similar to that of , meaning 'to destroy the devil', which is why people began throwing beans during .
From the Edo period (1603–1867), the custom of throwing beans at Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples, and homes of ordinary people spread throughout Japan as an event or festival to drive away evil spirits during . It was also during this period that the custom of tying roasted sardine heads to holly sprig to decorate the gates of houses during began. This custom was intended to scare away with the thorns of the holly leaves and the smell of the roasted sardines. The original form of this custom is recorded in the , compiled in 934 during the Heian period (794–1185). The diary describes a Shinto (sacred rope) that was hung on the gate of a house during the New Year's holiday to mark the boundary of purification, and that a mullet head pierced with a sprig of holly was attached to the .
The custom of eating on began in the geisha districts from the Edo period to the Meiji period. is a special (sushi roll) eaten on . On , people face the most auspicious direction of the year and eat the whole , an uncut sushi roll, to pray for prosperity and happiness for the year. It is believed that it was originally called simply or . The name may have spread throughout Japan in 1989, when a Japanese convenience store chain renamed it and began selling it.
Traditions
The main ritual associated with the observance of is ; this ritual sees roasted soybeans (known as ) either thrown out of the front door, or at a member of the family wearing an (demon or ogre) mask while shouting , before slamming the door. The beans are thought to symbolically purify the home by driving away the evil spirits that bring misfortune and bad health with them. Then, as part of bringing luck in, it is customary to eat roasted soybeans, one for each year of one's life, plus one more for bringing good luck for the year.
The custom of first appeared in the Muromachi period, and is usually performed by either a man of the household born in the corresponding zodiac year for the new year, or else the male head of the household.
Because Watanabe no Tsuna, a retainer of Minamoto no Yorimitsu during the Heian period (794–1185), is associated with the legend that he vanquished historically considered to be the strongest, such as Shuten-doji and Ibaraki-doji, there is a tradition that stay away from people named Watanabe and their houses. For this reason, some families with the surname Watanabe have not practiced the custom of throwing beans on Setsubun for generations. Watanabe no Tsuna was the first person to take the surname Watanabe, and Watanabe is the fifth most common surname in Japan, with approximately 1.08 million people .
Though still a somewhat common practice in households, many people will also or instead attend a shrine or temple's spring festival, where the practice of is performed; in some areas, such as Kyoto, this involves a dance performed by apprentice geisha, after which the apprentices themselves throw packets of roasted soybeans to the crowds. In other areas, priests and invited guests throw packets of roasted soybeans, some wrapped in gold or silver foil, small envelopes with money, sweets, candies and other prizes. In some bigger and more central shrines, celebrities and sumo wrestlers are invited to celebrations, usually to events that are televised. At Sensō-ji in the Asakusa neighborhood of Tokyo, crowds of nearly 100,000 people attend the annual festivities.
Other practices
A number of other, in some cases more esoteric practices exist surrounding the celebration and observance of ; some are regional, such as the Kansai area tradition of eating uncut rolls, known as , in silence whilst facing the year's lucky compass direction as determined by the zodiac symbol of that year. Though the custom originated in Osaka, it has since spread, due largely to marketing efforts by grocery and convenience stores. rolls are more commonly available for purchase at stores in the Kanto area during the spring period, with the tradition itself becoming more recognized as part of . Charts are published and occasionally packaged with uncut during February.
Other practices include the putting up of small decorations of sardine heads and ) at the entrance to a house to ward off evil spirits. A special variety of sake known as brewed with ginger is also customarily drunk on .
Historical practices
The new year was felt to be a time when the spirit world became close to the physical world, thus the need to perform to drive away any wandering spirits that might happen too close to one's home. Other customs during this time included religious dances, festivals, and bringing tools inside the house that might normally be left outside, to prevent the spirits from harming them. Rice cakes were also balanced on lintels and windowsills.
Because is considered to be a day set apart from the rest of the year, a tradition of role reversal in appearance and dress was also practiced; such customs included girls wearing the hairstyles of older women and vice versa, wearing disguises, and cross-dressing. This custom is still practiced among geisha and their clients when entertaining on .
, who were normally shunned during the year because they were considered vagrants, were welcomed on to perform morality plays. Their vagrancy worked to their advantage in these cases, as they were considered to take evil spirits with them.
Regional variations
In the Tōhoku area of Japan, the head of the household (traditionally the father) would take roasted beans in his hand, pray at the family shrine, and then toss the sanctified beans out the door. Peanuts (either raw or coated in a sweet, crunchy batter) are sometimes used in place of soybeans.
There are many variations on the famous chant. For example, in the city of Aizuwakamatsu, people chant
See also
, a sushi roll often eaten for good luck on .
Exorcism
Feast of the Lemures (a similar Roman custom)
Holidays of Japan
Saint John's Eve
Taoism in Japan
Walpurgis Night
Zvončari (the custom dating to pagan times in Croatia whose goal is to scare away evil spirits of winter and to stir up new springtime cycle)
References
External links
Ultimate Guide to Setsubun: Soybeans, Ogre, and Sushi
Japan-guide – Setsubun
Bean scatterer calculator
Japanlinked – Setsubun
Setsubun (Bean Throwing Festival)
Miscellaneous Notes on Setsubun (in Japanese)
February observances
Buddhist festivals in Japan
Oni
Japanese words and phrases