Setsubun · Worksheet 1
Demons Out, Luck In!
Read the story. 英文を読もう。
1On a cold night in early February, Japanese families open the front door and throw beans into the dark. They shout, 'Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!' It means 'Demons out! Luck in!' This is Setsubun. Then they quickly close the door, so the demons cannot come back in.
2Setsubun means the line between two seasons. Long ago, there were four Setsubun days each year, one before each season. Today, people only celebrate the day before the first day of spring. It is usually February 3, but not always. In 2021 and 2025, it was on February 2.
3The custom began at the palace more than 1,000 years ago. People held a ceremony to chase away demons that brought sickness. A man in a scary mask with four eyes chased the demons. He also carried a spear and a big shield. But later, people began to see this man as a demon himself!
4Today, people throw roasted soybeans. After that, each person eats one bean for each year of their age. Some people eat one more for good luck. So a grandmother who is 80 has a lot of beans to eat! In snowy places like Hokkaido, many families throw peanuts, because they are easy to find in the snow.
5Many people also eat ehomaki, a thick sushi roll. They face the lucky direction of the year and eat the whole roll without talking. People say this custom came from Osaka. In 1989, a convenience store in Hiroshima gave it the name ehomaki, and by the 2000s the whole country was eating it.
- demon 鬼、悪魔
- throw 投げる、まく
- roasted 炒った、焼いた
- soybean 大豆
- chase away 追い払う
- luck 運、幸運
- season 季節
- direction 方角、方向
- mask お面、仮面
- custom 習慣、風習
- ceremony 儀式、式
- sickness 病気