Setsubun can be explained in English as the day before the beginning of Spring in Japan or as a kind of New’s Year’s Eve for the old Lunar New Year (旧正月).

It is also sometimes described in English as the “Bean-Throwing (豆撒き) Festival” or “Bean-Throwing Ceremony”. The beans used for Setsubun are roasted soy beans (炒り豆).

An oni is a uniquely Japanese monster but is often translated in English as an ogre, demon or devil. The phrase「鬼は外! 福は内!」could be translated as, “Out with the demons! In with good fortune!”

You can see something a little similar to bean-throwing at a Western wedding when people sometimes throw rice over the newly married couple. However the meaning is very different, as in ancient times rice symbolized fertility (多産) and wealth (裕福).

Setsubun
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