JAPAN: Thousands flock to Japanese temples for annual bean-throwing "Setsubun" festival

Record ID: 464985

  • Title: JAPAN: Thousands flock to Japanese temples for annual bean-throwing "Setsubun" festival
  • Date: 4th February 2006
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) YUMIKO IIJIMA, 31-YEAR-OLD HOUSEWIFE SAYING; "This is the first time I saw the bean throwing ceremony. I am so impressed and overwhelmed because so many people have gathered"
  • Embargoed: 19th February 2006 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz,Lifestyle
  • Reuters ID: LVA3OYHIG2EUIQGL4MOO16M89I1Z
  • Story Text: All across Japan on Friday (February 3) people are throwing beans from temple entrances and around their homes and offices, carrying on an age-old tradition marking coming of spring.
    The festival, called "Setsubun" (pronounced SEH-TSOO-BUN) is held every February 3rd or 4th, which is believed to be the day ogres begin plotting evil and mischief for the coming year - people throw beans, a food that ogres hate, to drive them away.
    When throwing beans, people shout very loudly "out with ogres and in with good luck" to ensure coming year will be full of good fortune. Children are considered most effective in driving away the evil spirits.
    At the Zojoji Temple in central Tokyo, 6,000 people gathered with hopes of catching packets of roasted soy beans thrown by nearly 100 actors, sumo wrestlers, athletes and other celebrities.
    "I wonder that Japan may be heading in the wrong direction. Money is not everything. Human heart and logic is as important as money, otherwise we will lose ourselves to the devil," said Takaku Yonemura, a 66-year-old retiree who came to the temple with hopes of catching some of the beans, and even gift coupons worth 10,000 yen (84 USD) flung off of a makeshift stage in front of the Buddhist temple by table tennis star Ai Fukuhara.
    "This is the first time I saw the bean throwing ceremony. I am so impressed and overwhelmed because so many people have gathered," said 31-year-old housewife Yumiko Iijima, who came with her 1-year-old baby Rinka.
    Some men and women born under the same sign of the Zodiac as the current year (this year being year of the Dog), and considered luckier than others, were invited to the stage to throw the legumes.
    "I had lost some matches which I could have won in due to evil thoughts which distracted my concentration. I hoped that bean throwing could drive out the evil thoughts from me," said sumo wrestler Tochi-Azuma.
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