Setsubun!

It is Setsubun today! 今日は節分[せつぶん]です!

According to the Lunar Calendar, tomorrow, the 3rd of February, is the first day of Spring this year and this is called Risshun in Japanese. The day before Risshun is Setsubun and Japanese people have all sorts of rituals on Setsubun to welcome Spring .

One of such rituals is Mamemaki, throwing beans. We do this saying ‘Devils out; fortune in!’. Many celebrities join a public Mamemaki event on the day of Setsubun in Japan but I am not sure if it goes ahead this year due to the COVID-19 situation. I would surely like to say (even on my own; Mamemaki needs at least two people: a bean thrower and another who is thrown out beans at as a ‘devil’) ‘Devils out and Fortune in’ for 2021!

陰暦[いんれき](= lunar calendar)によると、今年は明日が立春[りっしゅん](= the first day of spring)です。立春は春[はる]の始[はじ]まりです。立春の前の日が節分で、日本ではいろいろな行事[ぎょうじ](= event)があります。

行事の1つは、豆[まめ]まき(= bean scattering)です。「鬼[おに](= monster; devil)は外、福[ふく](= fortune)は内」と言いながら、豆をまきます。節分には有名人[ゆうめいじん](= celebrities)が豆まきのイベントをよくします。でも今年はコロナがあるので、わかりません。私は1人だけでも2021年がいい年になるように「鬼は外、福は内」と言いたいです!

 

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