Setsubun (節分) is a traditional Japanese festival that marks the transition from winter to spring. It is celebrated every year on February 3 and is closely linked to ancient customs for purification and protection from evil spirits.
The name Setsubun literally means “change of season” and used to refer to the transition between all four seasons. Today, the term refers almost exclusively to the day before the beginning of spring according to the traditional Japanese calendar.
Setsubun is based on the belief that evil spirits (oni) can bring disaster at the turn of the year. To protect themselves from this, various rituals are performed to drive away the spirits and bring good luck for the coming year.
Mamemaki – Bean tossing
The best-known Setsubun ritual is mamemaki (豆まき), or “bean throwing”. Roasted soybeans (fukumame, “lucky beans”) are either thrown out of the front door or scattered around the house by a family member - often the head of the household or the eldest son. Meanwhile, people shout: “Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!” (“Demons out! Good luck in!”)
Sometimes a family member puts on an oni-mask (鬼) (demon mask) and plays the role of the evil spirit that is driven out of the house. This ritual is supposed to keep evil away and bring good luck for the coming year.
Setsubun in shrines and temples
In addition to domestic celebrations, there are also public ceremonies in temples and shrines. The Mamemaki festival at the Sensō-ji temple in Tokyo or the Yoshida shrine in Kyoto is particularly well-known, where celebrities, priests and sometimes even sumo wrestlers throw beans into the crowd.
In ikebana, a wide variety of materials are suitable for this cheerful celebration, such as colored craspedia in the first arrangement to represent the thrown beans or funny slipper flowers 'Calceolaria Integrifolia' as in the second arrangement, which dispel the winter mood and herald spring.
Setsubun is a joyful Japanese festival that combines old traditions with family rituals. It is a time of purification, new beginnings and happiness, when young and old banish evil together and look forward to the coming year.