For the next two days, Japan will be celebrating the fun festival of Setsubun. Green Shinto has reported on the events in Kyoto on a number of previous occasions: see here, or here, or here. The event … Read the rest
Category: Setsubun (Page 2 of 2)
Feb 3 is Setsubun and a time for throwing beans at demons… It takes place at shrines, temples and people’s homes.
Here’s Wikipedia’s succinct overview of the custom and its origins:
Setsubun is the day before the beginning of … Read the rest
Setsubun in Kyoto lasts from Feb 2-4, though Feb 3 is the main day. It’s a syncretic festival, and below is a list of temples and shrines where activities take place, taken from Kyoto Visitor (photos are my own). … Read the rest
An article by Alan Wiren in the Kansai Scene this month provides some interesting information about the Setsubun festival. (The full article can be read here.)
1) It’s traditional to gather up the scattered beans and eat the same … Read the rest
Each Kyoto shrine has its own attraction for the Setsubun ritual. Some feature special demon costumes. Some invite celebrities. Some prepare extensive gifts and make sure that everyone gets beans. Yasaka Jinja offers dances by maiko (apprentice geisha) for the … Read the rest
Fresh, freezing
White moon on a blue sky –
Eygrets flying home
Yesterday saw Kyoto burst out in a riot of demons and bean-throwing as the city indulged in Setsubun activities. (For an explanation, click here.) At Shimogamo the … Read the rest
February 3 is Setsubun when Japanese mark the seasonal break and look forward to the coming of spring. In Japan’s old lunar calendar, taken from the Chinese, it used to be associated with the New Year which took place around … Read the rest