Oni wa soto, Fuku wa uchi! ( the devil is in the outside, the good is in the inside)

It has been a long time, everyone. I hope you are well.

The year 2024 has come and gone so quickly, already one month has passed.

 Now that February has arrived, Setsubun is probably the most popular month of February in Japan.

Originally, the word was used to refer to the day before the beginning of each season (Risshun, Risshatsu, Risshu, Risshu, and Risshunyu), and it also meant "dividing the seasons," but since the Edo period, it has especially been used to refer to the day before Risshun (around February 4 every year). In the lunar solar calendar (lunar calendar), the new moon closest to Risshun was considered as the first day of the year, and the first day of the year (lunar New Year), which was based on the phases of the moon (lunar) (tsuki kiri), and Risshun, which was based on the solar ecliptic longitude (sekkiri), were both considered as the New Year. Therefore, Setsubun, the last day of the twelfth lunar month (New Year's Eve) and the day before Risshun, were both considered to be the day of New Year's Eve. Even today, Setsubun is called "New Year's Eve" or "New Year's Day" in some areas. Generally, Setsubun is celebrated by throwing beans (roasted soybeans) while shouting "Oni wa soto, Fuku wa uchi" and eating as many beans as one's age (or one more) to ward off evil spirits, so-called "mame-maki. Also, although it is not so common these days, some households decorate their entrance with holly sardines (the one in the photo below) to ward off evil spirits. These customs seem to differ from region to region and shrine to shrine.

By the way, why do we say "Oni wa soto" (demons are outside)? It seems that since it was believed that evil spirits (ogres) arose at the change of seasons, events were held to drive them away. There is also an old legend that "Bishamonten (goddess of Buddhism) threw beans at the eyes of demons to drive them away," and there is a theory that the word "beans" is derived from the Japanese word "mame," which means "to destroy the demon's eyes.

When did the bean-throwing ceremony start? According to the article of December, 3rd year of Keiun in Shoku Nihongi, it is written that "Tsuina", a ritual to drive away evil spirits, started in 706 as a court event. Tsuina' is a ritual to drive away demons and evil spirits on New Year's Eve (the 30th day of the 12th lunar month), and was originally held in China on the day before the New Year (Risshun) as an event to drive away evil spirits. It is said to have been held on the day before New Year's Eve. It is thought that this ritual of Tsuina was adopted by the common people in modern times, and at dusk of the same day, people started to put sardine heads on holly branches (holly sardines) at their doorsteps, or throw beans at temples and shrines, and from there, bean-throwing at home is also believed to have been done.

I have written about Setsubun and its origin, but to be honest, the only memory I have of Setsubun is that of adults (mainly fathers at home and teachers at school) wearing ogre masks and children throwing beans at the ogres. Well, I guess I just thought it was fun to throw beans at ogres because I didn't really understand the meaning of Setsubun when I was a child, but perhaps that is how traditional events are handed down. Are there any events from your childhood that you learned the meaning of as an adult? If you have a chance, please let us know.

See you next time on the Peach Festival.