Today is Setsubun 📅
May everyone spend a healthy and happy year ahead♪
Setsubun is one of the traditional Japanese miscellaneous seasonal festivals, marking the day before the beginning of each season's official start (Risshun [Beginning of Spring], Rikka [Beginning of Summer], Risshu [Beginning of Autumn], and Ritto [Beginning of Winter]). The term "Setsubun" literally means "the division of seasons."
It was believed that evil spirits (oni) emerged during seasonal transitions, prompting rituals to ward them off through exorcism ceremonies.
These were state-sanctioned court events; the "Engishiki" records that colored earth figurines of oxen and children were displayed at each gate of the Ōdairy palace complex.
In common practice, people perform the custom of throwing roasted soybeans while shouting "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" ("Demons out! Luck in!"), followed by eating an amount of beans equal to one's age plus one for protection against misfortune. Additionally, they display evil-repellent items like holly wreaths with dried fish at entrances. These practices vary regionally and between different shrines.
今日は節分📅
みんなが健やかな一年を過ごせますように♪