Japanese Festivals Tomomi - Berrin

Japanese Festivals
   Tomomi - Berrin

How many
  Japanese festivals
 are held each year?

https://www.japan-talk.com/jt/new/matsuri-list#:~:text=Each%20year%20there%20are%20200%2C000%20festivals%20in%20Japan.

It's not known exactly
       how many Japanese festivals
            are held each year.

A reasonable estimate is
    200,000 festivals.

https://www.japan-talk.com/jt/new/matsuri-list#:~:text=Each%20year%20there%20are%20200%2C000%20festivals%20in%20Japan.

Japan has
             religious festivals,
                fire festivals,
              dance festivals,
               snow festivals,
            music festivals and
           performance festivals.

https://www.japan-talk.com/jt/new/matsuri-list#:~:text=Each%20year%20there%20are%20200%2C000%20festivals%20in%20Japan.

Setsubun
           The bean-throwing festival

One of the Haru Matsuri (Spring festivals)

Setsubun is a festival held on February 2, 3 or 4,
one day before the start of spring according to The Japanese lunar calender.

We celebrate the coming of spring, even though it's still so cold outside.

Setsubun (節分)
                  is a fun festival
               Symbols of The Festival

Evil mask   Soybeans   Hiiragi Iwashi   Ehomoki   Grilled Sardine

Soybeans are one of
the most important
foods for this festival.
                           Soybeans
Soybeans are roasted
before throwing.

If you like, you can buy
them already roasted.

Throwing the soybeans
to drive away the
previous bad luck or
evil spirits
and welcome to good
luck for the new year.

As we throw the beans, we say
               "Oni wa soto, Fuku wa uchi"

       "Oni" means devil or demon in Japanese.
It's common for someone to dress up or to wear a mask of the red demon.

It's a lot of fun for children to throw
roast soybeans

Children throw beans at the demon
until he leaves!
In my house, when my daughters were young, my
husband acted a demon for example.
He kept chasing even if the children threw beans.
We enjoyed this event.

After the activity,
 everyone eats the same number of soybeans as their age.
Since I'm 50, I have to eat 50 beans, but it's too much for me.

      I ate 1 bean for every decade.

5 beans + 5 decade = 50 soybeans
                     10 years
                     10 years
                     10 years
                     10 years
                     10 years

Setsubun's special meal is Ehomaki.
Ehomaki is a seasonal sushi roll that's believed to bring
good luck.

It is said to be good luck to use the seven ingredients which
are related to the seven gods when preparing Ehomaki.
                                                                Ehomaki
Most Common Ingredients; shiitake mushrooms and kanpyo
(dried gourd), cucumber, rolled egg, eels, sweet fish powder
and prawns.

These ingredients represent good health, happiness, and
prosperity. Rolling the fillings means good fortune.

Hiiragi Iwashi / Holly Sardine
• Hiiragi Iwashi is a cooked sardine head
  attached to a holly branch.
• It is attached to the exterior of the
  house, usually next to the front door.
• Demons, which bring illness and           Hiiragi Iwashi

  poverty, are said to dislike sardine’s
  strong smell, and they fear getting
  their eyes poked by the sharp points
  on holly leaves.

Lunar calendar
The lunar calendar uses the moon phases to measure time,
usually measuring the time from new moon to new moon as one month.
Since each lunation is approximately ​29 1⁄2 days, it is common for the
months of a lunar calendar to alternate between 29 and 30 days.

 Various features of the lunar       子 (Ne):          Rat
 calendar have remained intact in    丑 (Ushi):        Ox
                                     寅 (Tora):        Tiger
 today's Japan.                      卯 (U):           Rabbit
                                     辰 (Tatsu):       Dragon
                                     巳 (Mi):          Snake
                                     午 (Uma):         Horse
 For example, years are still        未 (Hitsuji):     Sheep
 commonly associated with            申 (Saru):        Monkey
 the twelve animals:                 酉 (Tori):        Rooster
                                     戌 (Inu):         Dog
                                     亥 (Inoshishi):   Boar

Meaning of animals
   Rat:       Friendly
   Ox:        Patient and hard working
   Tiger:     Brave and has a strong sense of justice
   Rabbit:    Skilful, popular and sociable
   Dragon:    Energetic, warm-hearted and romantic
   Snake:     Charming and smart (intelligent)
   Horse:     Energetic and has excellent dramatic ability
   Sheep:     Mild-mannered and peace-loving
   Monkey:    Funny, energetic and active
   Rooster:   Clever and able to foresee the future
   Dog:       Good listener, caring and responsible
   Boar:      Loving, honest and kind

Thank you
Tomomi - Berrin