How to Celebrate Setsubun: An Alternative Holiday for February

Ah, the holidays. A time of joy, family, and… stress? If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of mainstream holidays—the shopping frenzies, the endless to-do lists, and the sugar highs—it’s time to consider a simpler, more meaningful alternative. That’s where Setsubun comes in.

Setsubun is a Japanese holiday which offers a refreshing take on intentional living, providing an opportunity to reset your mind, reconnect with loved ones, and renew your spirit. So let’s dive in and explore how you can integrate this rejuvenating alternative holiday into your life.

What is Setsubun?

Historical Background

Setsubun, originally celebrated in Japan, marks the day before the Lunar New Year. While Japan has mostly transitioned to the Gregorian calendar, Setsubun holds its own as a unique celebration to usher in the new season. The holiday traditionally involves a bean-throwing ceremony, intended to drive away evil spirits and welcome good fortune.

Date(s) of Celebration

The holiday usually occurs on February 3rd or 4th, depending on the lunar calendar.

Pagan Culture Notes

While Setsubun is primarily a Japanese tradition, it intriguingly resonates with several pagan elements that offer a sense of universal connectedness. First and foremost, let’s look at the overarching theme of Setsubun: the banishment of evil spirits and the ushering in of good luck or fortune. This dualistic concept mirrors pagan traditions that often focus on the natural balance between light and dark, good and evil.

Take, for instance, the Wheel of the Year in Wiccan and other neopagan practices. It features festivals, known as sabbats, that celebrate the cycles of nature and life transitions. Just like Setsubun, these sabbats often involve rituals meant to cleanse the old and welcome the new. In many pagan traditions, there are specific celebrations such as Beltane or Samhain that involve rituals to ward off evil spirits or negative energies, a concept remarkably similar to the bean-throwing ceremony of Setsubun.

Moreover, Setsubun’s focus on aligning its celebrations with the lunar calendar and natural cycles parallels pagan practices that pay homage to the natural world, seasons, and celestial events. This alignment with the cycles of nature is not just a poetic choice but represents a deep, inherent understanding of how human life is inextricably tied to the rhythms of the Earth and cosmos.

Lastly, Setsubun’s emphasis on communal and family participation also finds common ground with pagan community gatherings, where the collective is deemed important for the amplification of spiritual energy and intention. This communal aspect further strengthens the bridge between Setsubun and pagan traditions, offering a more holistic view of how this Japanese festival could find relevance in a universal context.

So whether you’re steeped in pagan traditions or simply intrigued by them, you’ll find that Setsubun offers a familiar echo, reverberating with themes of balance, renewal, and community that are universally meaningful.

Importance of Setsubun: Different Perspectives

Sociological Perspective

The communal aspect of Setsubun is deeply ingrained, acting as a social glue that brings communities together. This isn’t just a feel-good statement but is supported by sociological research. In his seminal book “Bowling Alone,” Robert D. Putnam discusses how shared rituals and communal activities significantly contribute to fostering social capital¹. Social capital is essentially the network of relationships among people who live and work in a particular society, enabling that society to function effectively.

For example, consider how Setsubun is often celebrated in local temples in Japan. These gatherings act as communal hubs where neighbors, who might otherwise never speak, come together to engage in the bean-throwing ritual. This practice doesn’t just serve to shoo away imaginary demons; it breaks down social barriers and creates a sense of unity and shared purpose among participants. Similarly, in family settings, Setsubun can be an intergenerational affair, where grandparents, parents, and children collaborate in the rituals, thereby strengthening family bonds. These small yet powerful interactions accumulate social capital, enhancing community well-being and individual emotional health.

Such community-building aspects are crucial, especially in today’s world where social isolation is becoming increasingly common. Setsubun offers an alternative pathway to reconnect with those around you in a meaningful way, thereby contributing to a richer, more interconnected social fabric.

Biological Perspective

Rituals like Setsubun aren’t just sociological phenomena; they have biological underpinnings too. Research shows that participating in rituals can release oxytocin, often referred to as the “love hormone,” which contributes to feelings of social bonding and general well-being.

Historical Perspective

Setsubun has evolved over time, adapting to societal changes while maintaining its core principles. This adaptability makes it a sustainable practice that can be integrated into diverse modern lifestyles, without losing its original essence.

How to Celebrate Setsubun: Options for Intentional Living

Simple Method: “Bean-Throwing in a Box”

Time Required:

Approximately 30 minutes (including preparation)

Supplies Needed:

• A small cardboard box or a shoebox
• Dry beans (soybeans or kidney beans work well)
• ‘Oni’ (demon) mask printed from the internet or hand-drawn
• Tape or glue to secure the mask
• Optional: paper and markers to decorate the box

Steps to Celebrate:

1. Prepare the Box: Take your cardboard box and place it on a flat surface like a table or the floor. If you’d like, you can decorate the outside of the box with paper and markers to make it more festive.
2. Affix the Mask: Print out or draw an ‘Oni’ mask. Cut it out and secure it to one end of the box using tape or glue.
3. Fill with Beans: Take your dry beans and spread them out at the opposite end of the box from the mask. If you have children, they usually find this part particularly enjoyable.
4. Position Yourself: Stand or sit at the end where the beans are placed.
5. Begin the Ritual: The essence of the ritual is to say the words “Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!” as you throw the beans. This translates to “Demons out! Luck in!” Aim the beans at the ‘Oni’ mask.
6. Reflect: After you’ve thrown all the beans, take a moment to absorb what you’ve done. The act is symbolic but can be quite powerful in setting your intentions for driving away negativity and inviting positivity into your life.
7. Clean-Up: Gather the beans and either store them for next year’s Setsubun or compost them.

Additional Tips:

• If you live with family or roommates, invite them to join you in throwing beans. Each person can take turns, making it a collective act of banishing negativity and inviting positivity.

This simple method can be easily adapted to any living situation, be it an urban apartment or a rural farmhouse. What’s more, the ritual doesn’t require extensive resources but still allows you to engage meaningfully with the essence of Setsubun. With just a little time and basic supplies, you can partake in a tradition that has enriched lives for centuries.

Elaborate Method: “The Setsubun Feast and Ritual”

Time Required:

Approximately 3-4 hours (including preparation and celebration)

Supplies Needed:

• Dry beans (soybeans or kidney beans work well)
• ‘Oni’ mask (purchased or homemade)
• Traditional Japanese foods like sushi, makizushi (rolled sushi), and miso soup
• Natural elements like small branches, leaves, or flowers for decoration
• Paper and markers for creating a ‘Wish Wall’
• Incense or sage for cleansing
• Small ritual bell or chimes
• A length of white or red ribbon (approximately 3 feet)
• Candles (preferably unscented)
• A detailed itinerary or script for the ritual

Steps to Celebrate:

1. Purify the Space: Before beginning, cleanse your celebration area by smudging it with sage or incense. Ring a small ritual bell or chimes to signify the start of your celebration.
2. Set Up a Wish Wall: Designate a wall or large board where everyone can write down their wishes for the upcoming year. Use paper and markers for this. This wall will be revisited later in the ritual.
3. Decorate the Space: Arrange the natural elements around your gathering area, and lay out the red or white ribbon in a circle to represent the boundaries of your ritual space.
4. Prepare the Feast: Assemble a variety of traditional Japanese foods. Place the prepared dishes near your ritual space but outside of the ribbon circle.
5. Light the Candles: Once everything is set up, light the candles around your ritual space to signify the beginning of the feast and ritual.
6. Initiate the Ritual: Gather everyone around the circle. Begin by chanting “Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!” together three times.
7. Bean-Throwing: Equipped with your beans and ‘Oni’ mask, reenact the bean-throwing ceremony. Aim for the mask while shouting the traditional phrase.
8. Feast: Move to the feast area and enjoy the traditional Japanese foods you’ve prepared.
9. Revisit Wish Wall: After the feast, gather around the Wish Wall. Allow each person to read out their wish and stick it on the wall, thus externalizing their internal wishes for the year.
10. Closing the Ritual: To close, everyone should take a bean and make a final wish, throwing it towards the ‘Oni’ mask while saying, “Fuku wa uchi!” (“Luck in!”). Finally, extinguish the candles and thank everyone for participating.

Additional Tips:

• Feel free to include additional elements that resonate with you, such as reading poetry or incorporating additional cultural elements.
• This elaborate method involves greater investment but can be especially rewarding. It allows for deeper engagement with the Setsubun ritual, as well as the exploration of traditional Japanese cuisine.

This elaborate celebration offers a multifaceted approach to Setsubun, letting you dive deep into its cultural, social, and spiritual layers. It may require a greater commitment of time and resources, but the result is a truly enriching experience that brings both material and spiritual wealth into your life.

Why Setsubun Matters for You

A few of my friends started celebrating Setsubun a few years ago and they found the experience deeply transformative. They said that it felt like a “reset button” for my life, allowing them to cast aside negativity and usher in positivity. Whether you’re seeking a new tradition or just a break from the monotony, remember that you are not confined to what you grew up with or what’s considered “normal.”

Wrapping up

The beauty of Setsubun lies in its adaptability and the freedom it offers for personal interpretation. It’s a holiday that invites you to step out of your comfort zone while still offering the comfort of ritual and community. With Setsubun, you get to rewrite the narrative of your life, embracing new experiences that bring unexpected joy and satisfaction.

Ready to Celebrate Setsubun in your life?

Ready to give Setsubun a try? Why not this year? Share your experiences and photos with our community. And don’t forget to check out other alternative holidays and practices covered in this blog. Because the first step to living more intentionally is choosing to do so.

So there you have it, a guide to celebrating Setsubun in a way that aligns with your search for intentional living. After all, the best traditions are the ones that add genuine value to our lives. Happy Setsubun! 🎉