Setsubun and Lichun

 According to the annual weather change, the separation of seasons is decided.

People generally consider a year is separated into four seasons, each three months, like spring, summer, autumn and winter. 

But the region near the equator has two seasons: dry or rainy.


There are two types of separation of seasons in Japan, they depend on the Western and Chinese calendars.

As we use the Western calendar in general society, spring starts in March.

However in the Chinese calendar, we start spring in Lichun, and it is described as the start of spring in Chinese characters, even though it is coldest in terms of days.

It was Lichun on February 3rd or 4th, and it is celebrated on the day before Lichun, as the Chinese New Year’s Eve “Setsubun” in Japan.

Peple scatter roasted beans while yelling “Fuku wa uchi. Oni wa soto”. It means to invite happiness to our house and get demons out.

That’s because the origin of this ritual is a kind of purification or exorcism.



But we don’t scatter many beans in the modern society, because it is wasteful and needs a big effort to clean the room afterwards.

Children play games of tag with a mask of a demon, and they eat an amount of beans that matches their age.

And people sometimes eat rolled sushi called Ehoumaki as a recent trend.


Ehou means lucky direction, it is said the lucky direction of each year is decided by the Chinese fortunetelling.

According to the manner of eating Ehoumaki, people should eat it while they are facing the lucky direction and smile without talking.




There are many types of ceremonies and traditions for Setsubun depending on the region.

Many historical Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines have not only Scattering Beans, Mamemaki but also various ceremonies like Sumo, the ritual dance, Kagura, children’s parade, etc.



The first new moon after the Lichun signals the beginning of the New Year in the Chinese calendar.

People in the Chinese cultural area celebrated it gorgeously, and I have experienced the Chinese New Year in Malaysia.

They decorate the ornaments for CNY after Christmas, and sometimes there are both mixed in the shopping malls.

Chinese residents take vacation and go back to their hometown to celebrate CNY.




I also enjoy seeing the acrobats of Lion Dance, and eating oranges and mooncakes.



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