Bean throwing festival

Heh...people may think that Japan must be nuts to actually have such a festival. Yesterday was the 節分 Setsubun (bean throwing) Festival. Although I didn't see it happening (as I didn't go to any Japanese temples/shrines or their homes), we had the mame (beans) during school lunch. Setsubun is held on Feb 3, the day before 立春（りっしゅん - the first day of spring according to the Japanese lunar calendar）. The Japanese would have someone putting on the oni (demon) mask and throw beans at him shouting "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi"! Meaning out with demons and in with happiness. After throwing the beans, we're supposed to eat the number of beans according to our age by the lunar calendar. I didn't bother to count and just ate the whole packet! I wish I could have witnessed the festival though.

And it is said that on the first day of spring, it turns very cold. Which is true because it became very cold and windy since last night after a good day of warm weather. But technically, it's not spring yet until the plum (ume), peach (momo) and cherry (sakura) trees blossom in chronological sequence. And I'm waiting faithfully and eagerly for the time to come, as my Chinese name, 喜春, suggests that I love spring, not to mention flowers!

I've never come across a country (not that I've travelled to a lot of places) that is so in tune with the change of the four seasons like Japan. While in Australia, I didn't see people celebrating the change of seasons with festivals nor have many haiku (poems) waxing lyrical on winter, spring, summer and autumn. Japan is very unique to me in this sense.