Happy Setsubun!

節 分
今日は節分の日です。２月2日に節分になるのは。明治30年（1897）以来、124年ぶりだそうです。節分には多くの家々で豆まきをします。また神社やお寺でもその年の干支生まれ年男たちが集まった人々を前にして豆まきをする大きな行事が行われます。元々節分とは立春、立夏、立秋、立冬など季節の改まる前日のことを呼んだが次第に立春の前日だけを節分と指すようになりました。この節分を境にして、暦の上では翌日から春に。古代中国では大晦日に邪鬼や疫病などを打ち払うため、鬼の面を被った人を桃の木で作った弓矢で射って追い払う『追儺』という行事があったそうです。これが奈良時代に日本に伝わり、平安時代には宮中で大晦日の行事として盛んに行われました。この頃ヒイラギの枝にイワシの頭を刺して家の門に掲げる、節分特有の飾りも広まったという。豆まきの行事が定着したのは室町時代中期以降のことで、江戸時代になると現在のような豆まきの行事が庶民の間にも広まりました。Today is ''Setsubun'' or seasonal division. It is 124 years (1897), since Setsubun occured on the 2nd, as it usually falls on the 3rd or 4th. Many households scatter beans on this day. Some shrines and temples have bean throwing rituals by toshiotoko, lucky bean scatterers. Originally, the day before Rissun (立春),the beginning of spring, Ritsuka (立夏) the beginning of Summer, Risyuu (立秋), the beginning of autumn, and Ritto (立冬) the beginning of winter were called Setsubun. However, gradually it became only the day before Rissun. According to the calendar, the day after Setsubun is the start of Spring.
In ancient China, there was a ritual called tuina, to drive away evil spirits by shooting an arrow made of peach wood at someone wearing an ogre’s mask. This ritual was introduced to Japan during the Nara period and by the Heian period it was held as a New Year Eve’s festivity in the Imperial Court. Displaying a sardine’s head skewed by a branch of holly on the house gate spread as a custom. The custom of scattering beans became established during the mid-Muromachi period and in the Edo period the current day customs became popular among the wider population.

Happy Setsubun Day!