Many cultures have springtime festivals with rituals that address not only the turn of seasons from winter to spring, but the rejection of negative or stagnant energy in favor of embracing renewal and growth. Frequently, this involves actually throwing things! From Holi in India to Botides in Corfu, Greece, these cathartic, kinetic ceremonies act as a sort of spiritual or emotional spring cleaning, and they can take many fascinating forms.
Japan is known for having unique holidays, and Setsubun, which is sometimes referred to as the Japanese bean throwing festival, joins in on the fun. What better way to shake off the winter blues than by tossing soybeans into the air? Below, we’ll take a look at how Setsubun began and how you can celebrate Setsubun from anywhere, whether you’re traveling in Japan or enjoying spring from afar.
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What is Setsubun?
In Japan, Setsubun is a holiday when evil spirits and illness are banished from the home, and the new season of growth and good fortune are ushered in by tossing soybeans into the air.
Setsubun is a distinctly Japanese celebration with fascinating customs, and it is practiced in many communities outside of Japan so that you can join in the fun even when travel is not a possibility.
In San Diego, for instance, the public is invited to the Japanese Friendship Garden for a festival with performances, crafts, and food. Events like this are a great way to participate in other cultures locally, and they provide an excellent opportunity to practice new language skills.
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When is Setsubun?
Setsubun (節分) is a cultural holiday that marks the transition from winter to spring—in fact, it translates to “seasonal division.”
It is celebrated according to the traditional Japanese lunar calendar, and always occurs on the final day of winter, one day before the beginning of spring, known as Risshun (立春).
While historically Setsubun festivities could fall on a range of dates according to the February/March of the Gregorian calendar, it is now typically standardized and celebrated worldwide on the third of February.
A closer look at Setsubun
The origins of the Japanese celebration of Setsubun actually come from the Chinese custom of tsuina (追儺), a form of exorcism practiced by the Nuo Folk religion in the Tujia community.
The Japanese text Shoku Nihongi (続日本紀), an imperially commissioned history book from 797, tells us that the first tsuina held in Japan was in 706. At that time, evil spirits were expelled using peach branches and walking sticks, and the gates of the palace were adorned with figurines of children and cattle.
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The roots of the modern Setsubun celebration
Those 8th century origins bear little resemblance to the Setsubun we know today. The genesis of the way we celebrate Setsubun now began in the Muromachi period (室町時代), 1336–1573.
A Buddhist monk of that era, Gyōyo, included a story in a collection from around 1445 called Ainōshō, that gives a clue to the history. During the reign of Emperor Uda (宇多天皇) in the 10th century, an oni (鬼おに)—a kind of demon—appeared on Kyoto’s Mount Kurama, and a brave monk blinded and repelled them by throwing soybeans.
Households in the aristocratic and samurai classes adopted the custom of hurling beans from the doors of their homes as a way of driving evil spirits out. Eventually, during the Edo period (1603–1867), the annual throwing of beans became a ritual practiced at Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, and average homes throughout Japan.
What’s in a name? The Watanabe exception
You may notice that families with the Watanabe name traditionally do not partake in the bean-throwing custom.
This dates back to the Heian period in which there was a famed samurai of the Saga Genji branch of the Minamoto clan named Watanabe no Tsuna (渡邊 綱). He was a fierce warrior, and the subject of many legends.
He was said to have defeated two of the fiercest oni, Shuten-doji and Ibaraki-doji. Since that time, many Japanese believe demons have avoided the homes of families named Watanabe. This is good fortune for more than a million people in Japan, as Watanabe is the fifth most common surname. Because the oni keep clear of them, their participation in the bean-throwing custom is optional!
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Spiritual spring cleaning
Mamemaki (豆撒) is the annual practice of casting roasted soybeans from the home and into the air. Fukumame (福豆)—known as “fortune beans”—are thrown by either the head of the household, or by a family member whose zodiac sign corresponds with that of the new year.
2024 will be the Year of the Dragon, an auspicious sign that is the only mythical creature represented in the Chinese zodiac, and symbolizes strength and good luck.
The beans are hurtled from the door as a way of banishing oni, bad luck and misfortune. This is followed by eating roasted soybeans, consuming one for every year of life plus an extra one to invite good fortune back in for the coming year.
The language of Setsubun
Whether you’re traveling to Japan for a Setsubun celebration or honoring the day at home, there are a couple phrases worth knowing.
Mamemaki is not only the word for the most iconic part of Setsubun, but it is also an interesting and many-layered bit of wordplay. The word for bean in Japanese, 豆, or mame, can be written as 魔目 (evil eyes or devil’s eyes), and pronounced like mametsu (魔滅), meaning “to destroy the devil.”
The most important phrase to know for Setsubun is Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi! (鬼は外! 福は内!), Meaning “Devils OUT, Good fortune IN!”. This is shouted as the beans are thrown, as a part of banishing the oni and an invocation of good luck for the coming year.
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Foods of the festival
Roasted soybeans are not the only food connected to the Setsubun festival. Ehōmaki (恵方巻) is a thick, uncut type of makizushi (sushi roll), and it is filled with seven different ingredients that represent the seven gods of luck. There is no strict standard for what these components are, but frequently they are brimming with:
- Anago (Japanese conger)
- Cucumber
- Kanpyo (dried strips of gourd)
- Boiled shiitake mushroom
- Tamagoyaki (omelet with dashi)
- Perilla shiso leaf
- Sakura denbu (white fish flake)
In order to bring good fortune, the ehōmaki is intended to be eaten all at once without stopping, in silence, and it should be consumed while facing the auspicious direction of the year, which in 2024 will be east-north-east.
Other foods that are associated with good luck are often served, including:
- Setsubun soba—Toshikoshi Soba was customarily eaten on December 31, but has gradually been adopted for Setsubun as well.
- Salt grilled sardines, called Setsubun Iwashi.
- In the Kansai region, azuki based foods are shared with loved ones and neighbors to help keep evil spirits at bay (the red color is said to expel evil spirits and welcome good fortune).
Japanese destinations for Setsubun celebrations
If you are visiting Japan in early February, check out these spots to experience the excitement of the holiday:
- Sensoji Temple (Tokyo): Join tens of thousands of revelers in the place where large public Setsubun festivities began. Sample local fare and watch the ritual of the Seven Lucky Gods dance before the mamemaki begins
- Yasaka Shrine (Kyoto): Maiko (apprentice geisha) and geiko (geisha) from four districts perform elegant dances, showcasing subtle variations in style of performance and kimono of each area.
- Naritasan Shinshoji Temple (Osaka): More than 860kg of beans are thrown at this enormous festival, well attended by celebrities and famous kabuki actors
Celebrating Setsubun at home
Shake off the dreary February doldrums by embracing and appreciating this unique festival!
- Check local Japanese cultural organizations to see if there are local events to attend
- Buy (or for more fun, craft your own) oni mask and have a family member wear it while being pelted with beans
- Feast on the foods of the fest by enjoying uncut ehōmaki in the traditional fashion, serve red azuki treats for good fortune, and don’t forget to eat one roasted soybean for each year of your age – plus an extra for good luck!
- Chant “Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!”, and study up on more Japanese words and phrases
Springtime festivals celebrated around the world
Communities around the world gather and share traditions that mark the shift from darkness to light and the beginning of spring. But only a handful of festivals are as cathartic as Setsubun. When you’re eager to throw something to celebrate the turn of seasons, India and Corfu are two destinations that deserve a place on your bucket list.
Holi: Throwing colors in India
The Hindu festival of Holi is celebrated throughout India, and now flourishes in communities worldwide. There are many layers to the meaning of Holi including embracing the blossoming of new love, the divine and eternal love of the deities Radha and Krishna, the triumph of good over evil, and a commemoration of the victory of Vishnu as Narasimha over Hiranyakashipu. It also serves to mark the end of winter, the beginning of spring, and a hope for a bountiful harvest season.
The date Holi falls on is variable, as it is celebrated according to the Hindu luni-solar calendar, on Purnima (the full moon day) of the month (Phalguna) that marks spring. Generally speaking, it’s sometime in late February/early March according to the Gregorian calendar.
This lively and joyous festival is a raucous visual feast – the streets are filled with frolicing people and vibrant color. Pigments in all the hues of the rainbow are thrown, covering everything and everyone. The colored dyes are deeply saturated and when tossed and flung with joy they leave their bright marks everywhere, making this an especially beautiful occasion and an ideal destination for travelers with an interest in photography.
Botides: Throwing clay pots in Corfu
Each spring, on an island in the Ionian Sea, a thunderous sound heralds the spring. Corfu is home to a smashing good festival on the Saturday before Easter, called Botides (μποτίδες). Balconies of the old part of the city are dramatically draped with crimson fabric, and just before noon giant clay pots filled with water are hurtled to the streets below, crashing and shattering instantly when they hit the pavement.
It is a celebration of Easter and a commemoration of King David’s phrase “Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel” (Psalm 2:9), a cacophonous welcoming of spring, and it said that the breaking of the pots wards off bad spirits and symbolizes the purging of misfortune. Spectators gather shards of the broken crockery to take home as talismans of good luck.
Explore Japanese with Rosetta Stone
Out with the old and in with the new! In Japan, that sentiment is expressed through bean-throwing, Buddhist temple festivities, and sushi rolls packed to the brim. Setsubun is both a fun and reflective celebration, and—in our opinion—the perfect way to ring in the beginning of Spring.
Whether you are preparing for a trip overseas to celebrate the Setsubun festival, or simply wish to relate to another culture on a deeper level, Rosetta Stone can help you embrace Japanese with ease. Our fun, immersive lessons spur long lasting language acquisition, not just fleeting lists of words to memorize.
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Written by Erin Vargo
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