Writing - Eve of Spring

 The Japanese have a penchant for colourful celebration. They are artistic and quite gentle often accompanied with a plethora of gentle sounds. The weekend gone saw Setsubun. 

Setsubun falls on about the 3rd of February, the day before spring is considered to begin. On the evening of this day, people scatter soy beans both inside and outside their homes while yelling, “Out with the devil! In with happiness!”. To pray for good health for the year, there is also the custom of eating the same number of soy beans as one’s age. 

Mamemaki

On Setsubun, when evil spirits roam the streets and knock on your door, this is not a time to hand out Halloween candy. Fill a Japanese wooden cup called a masu with fortune beans (roasted soybeans). With the cup in your strong arm, bend your knees into a ready position. Ask the bravest family member to open the door on your count.  1, 2, 3, go!

The moment that door rushes open, pushed by the force of a winter gale, with an evil spirit riding on that invisible wave, that’s when you give it a mouthful of beans. Toss that cup of roasted soybeans out through the door while screaming, “Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi” (“Demons Out! Good Fortunes In! 鬼は外! 福は内!). As you lunge forward into that demon-tainted wind, the beans clearing your path to safety, catch the side of the door and slam it shut! Fall to the floor, with your back securing the door, and whisper under an exhausted and exhilarated breath, “Oni wa soto.  Fuku wa uchi.”

God Bless