Setsubun

The name means "dividing the seasons." At first, setsubun marked the eve of each of the four seasons. Over time it came to mean the most important one: the start of spring in the traditional calendar. This day worked as a kind of New Year's Eve. The year turned here, and people believed evil spirits could slip through at such a moment. So rituals to clean and protect the home gathered around this dangerous point in time.

The central custom is mamemaki (豆まき). People throw roasted soybeans and shout "Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi!", or "Demons out, luck in!" The oni (鬼), a horned demon, stands for bad luck and disease. Often one family member puts on a demon mask. The others pelt him with beans and chase him out of the house. They also throw beans at the door and out of the windows. Afterwards, each person eats as many beans as their age, often plus one, for good health in the year ahead. A newer custom comes from the Kansai region around Osaka and has spread across Japan. This is the ehō-maki (恵方巻), a thick sushi roll that nobody cuts. You eat it whole and in silence while you face the year's lucky direction and make a wish. Big temples and shrines hold public bean-throwing events, where celebrities and sumo wrestlers toss beans to huge crowds.