JAPAN: Elephants leads traditional Japanese spring ritual that symbolically throws beans at the imaginary demons

Record ID: 184997

  • Title: JAPAN: Elephants leads traditional Japanese spring ritual that symbolically throws beans at the imaginary demons
  • Date: 3rd February 2009
  • Summary: MAMMY (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) MAI SASAKI, DIRECTOR OF ICHIHARA ELEPHANT KINGDOM, SAYING "They can splash water with their trunks so we thought they might be able to shoot out beans as well. They used to eat every bean we gave them, but now they can throw the beans very well." ELEPHANTS THROWING BEANS THE DEMONS AND DEMONS COLLAPSING ON THE GROUND ELEPHANTS THROWING BEANS
  • Embargoed: 18th February 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVADGQNTF9ZG3AFGK6BGAPUK7W66
  • Story Text: Elephants in suburban Tokyo zoo take part in a traditional Japanese bean-throwing festival.
    Mammy and Minister - two Asian elephants - were given a special mission at a zoo in suburban Tokyo on Tuesday (February 3) leading the traditional Japanese bean-throwing festivities held annually on the third day of February.
    As crowds watched on, the two pachiderms threw trunkfuls of soya beans against their handlers dressed in colorful demon costumes.
    This was no simple trick for both elephants who knew how tasty the roasted soya beans were and cared little that they were taking part in the traditional Japanese blessing called "Setsubun", which seeks to call in good fortune and chase out the bad.
    Over a dozen zoo visitors also threw beans as they chanted "In with fortune, out with the devil!", while Mammy and Minister led the ancient tradition at Ichihara Elephant Kingdom.
    The ritual is usually not reserved for their species, but zoo authorities thought Mammy and Minister could do with a bit of luck.

    "They can splash water with their trunks so we thought they might be able to shoot out beans as well," Mai Sasaki, Director of Ichihara Elephant Kingdom, told Reuters. "They used to eat every bean we gave them, but now they can throw the beans very well."
    10-year-old Mammy and the 22-year-old Minister were chosen specifically to shoot out the beans because they were the only one's in their pod to learn to throw and not eat the beans.
    There are currently eight Asian elephants and one African elephant at the zoo.
    Unlike larger African elephants, which have never been domesticated in large numbers, Asian elephants have worked closely with humans for millennia but throwing beans is not their usual task either.

    "It's really amazing! They do it so well!" Tomoko Takasawa, zoo visitor who came with her daughter, told Reuters.
    Many young zoo visitors like 5-year-old Yuma Hirota cheered on as the elephants chased away the demons.
    Throwing roasted beans or sometimes peanuts is part of the traditional festival of Setsubun and it is believed to have purifying qualities.
    ENDS.
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