Sunday, February 8, 2015

"In with Fortune! Out with Evil!"

February 3rd was Setsubun, so what did we do???  We bought ogre masks and roasted soy beans and we threw them at each other!!!


Setsubun is celebrated on the last day of winter, according to the ancient lunar calendars.  By chanting, "In with fortune!  Out with evil!" while throwing soybeans at the ogres, it's believed that good fortune will come into your home.  So, we donned the masks, gave our kids and their friends a bunch of soybeans and we ran around outside chucking them at each other.  William loved it!  

We are completely enjoying learning about and getting involved in the Japanese customs and cultures, even if some of them are a bit silly!  But, hopefully we are creating memories and traditions that we'll be able to carry on, even after we leave Japan.  




No comments:

Post a Comment