Setsubun Festival
Setsubun Festival
Feb 3 is a special day called "Setsubun," at the turn of the season and the day before Risshun or "the Herald of Spring" on the traditional calendar. Because spring was thought to begin with New Year's, many ceremonies to ward off bad luck for the coming year are held on this day at shrines and temples. The traditions include scattering beans or performing rituals to expel evil or plague.
Various annual ceremonies will be held around Setsubun day at shrines and temples, ranging from the "bean scattering" ritual, the oni-yarai ritual in which the personification of evil or plague is expelled, to the Mibu Kyogen, which is a silent, mimetic theatre.
Various annual ceremonies will be held around Setsubun day at shrines and temples, ranging from the "bean scattering" ritual, the oni-yarai ritual in which the personification of evil or plague is expelled, to the Mibu Kyogen, which is a silent, mimetic theatre.