February

Japanese Season & Habit

We celebrate the festival of "Setsubun", which is also known as the Bean Throwing ceremony, in early February. According to the lunar calender, this day marks the last day of winter. However, the month of February is the coldest of the year.

On the day of "Setsubun", we throw parched beans inside and outside the house shouting "Evils out! Good Luck in!". It is believed that by throwing beans we can get rid of the evil apirits in our house.

After this ceremony, every person is supposed to eat just as many beans as his own age. It is believed that this ritual will drive evil spirits away from a person.