Setsubun 節分　せつぶん

Setsubun occurs on February 2nd or 3rd, depending on the year, is part of the three day Spring Festival, and corresponds with New Year’s Eve on the ancient Chinese/Japanese calendar.

Good Luck In, Bad Luck Out

Setsubun on February 2nd or 3rd every year is a day of cleansing which also consists of throwing roasted soybeans at someone wearing an Oni mask in your home and shouting “Bad luck out, Good luck in” (Oni wa Soto. Fuchu wa Uchi). There are many festivities held at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples across the country on this day. It is especially loved by small children, because they can chase their father around their home throwing roasted soybeans at him as he wears on “Oni” mask basically yelling,”Come in good luck! Get out demon!”.

Maiko, apprentice geisha, put on public performances at a couple of Kyoto’s shrines on this day. After performing they toss packets of roasted soybeans into the crowd. Later the crowd pelts people dressed up as Onis with the soybeans. This is also a big day for sumo. Wrestlers put on exhibitions on this day. And Senso-ji, in Asakusa, Tokyo, has a major festival on this day.

Setsubun was once the day before the first day of spring called Risshun (立春) by Japan’s ancient calendar. The old calendar was based on the Chinese lunar calendar at the time. So to prepare for the coming of spring people wanted to cleanse themselves of any bad luck from the previous year. After throwing roasted soybeans at the Onis it is tradition to eat the number of roasted soybeans up to your age, plus one more for good luck.

Relation to New Year’s Eve on the Ancient Chinese Lunar Calendar

Setsubun was originally the changing of the seasons. So each year had four times for Setsubun for each season: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. According to the old lunar calendar the first day of Spring fell between February 3rd and 4th. Setsubun iteslf was actually New Year’s Eve for the people of Japan up until the introduction of the Gregorian calendar. Today people do not even remember for the most part that there are Setsubun for the other seasons.