SetsuBun-Mamemaki 春天纪事之一 節分 豆まき

结束了上周的持续低温，终于迎来了久违的阳光。

光线变得柔软，空气里也多了一点春天的味道。

不知不觉，已是人间二月春。

1月成人礼一过，街景悄无声息且整齐划一的变成了鬼面的世界。

百货商店和路边的小超市，默默地把春季的小用品撤下，换上了👹的装饰。

红色、蓝色的鬼面笨拙又可爱。无论是大人还是小朋友都会驻足看看。

超市入口处，惠方卷的预订广告一字排开，方向被认真地标注着，提醒人们：节分快到了。

日本的节日，往往不是突然降临的。它们是被一点点“摆出来”的。从货架的变化、海报的位置，预定食物的广告，到人们随口提起的一句「もうすぐ節分ですね」，季节就这样被提前通知了。

节分（Setsubun）是什么？ 翻开日本的日历，一整年的放假计划都被安排的明明白白。节分是唯一个被标注但又没有放假的「假日」

节分在立春的前一天，通常是2月2日或3日（根据年份不同）。

在传统历法中（亚洲人特别是华人），立春被视为一年的开始，所以节分就成了一年真正的分界线。它的名字很直观的表达了自己的地位。简单又粗暴。

日本的节分怎么庆祝？

基本上是小朋友们的活动。

其中最重要的仪式是 豆撒（豆まき）。

小朋友们会一边撒炒过的黄豆（ 便利店有售），一边喊：「鬼は外、福は内」onihasoto，fukuhauchi

意思是：把不好的东西赶出去，把福气迎进来。

这里的“鬼”，并不是真的妖怪，更多指的是——灾厄、疾病、烦恼、不顺、以及那些不太“正能量”的情绪和状态。

为什么要撒豆豆？都是口口相传的做法，日语里 灭魔 ：魔を滅する（まをめっする）的发音缩写成了mame，和豆豆的发音一样，后面就说豆豆有驱邪功效。我怀疑是黄豆商的销售策略，但没有证据。

近年来，节分还流行吃 惠方卷（ehomaki），把好的东西卷起来，对着有福的方向，一口气吃完。新的一年顺顺利利。

节分不是热闹的庆典，

而是一种很日本式的“心理换季”。

从新年到节分，给你一个缓冲的调整过程，去年没处理好的事情，这段时间完成，去年没有断舍离的，节分前整理掉。过了节分，真的是新的一年了，什么不好的运气，烦恼的人事物，统统关在门外，只留下新年的新气象。

然后，轻轻迈进下一个季节。

今天正好是节分，让我们一起大喊一句，「鬼は外、福は内」onihasoto，fukuhauchi ，迎接崭新的自己！

（陆陆续续会写一些日本日历上的小故事，请保持关注）

After a week of persistent cold, the long-awaited sunlight finally returned.The light softened, the air carried a faint hint of spring, and without much notice, February had arrived.

Once the Coming-of-Age Day in January passes, the cityscape in Japan changes almost overnight—quietly, yet with remarkable consistency.Department stores and neighborhood supermarkets remove their spring-themed goods and replace them with rows of oni (👹) decorations.

Red and blue demon masks appear everywhere. They’re clumsy rather than scary, and somehow endearing. Adults pause to look; children linger a little longer.At supermarket entrances, advertisements for ehō-maki line up neatly, each carefully marking the auspicious direction of the year—gently reminding everyone that Setsubun is near.

Japanese seasonal events rarely arrive all at once.They are introduced gradually, through displays on shelves, posters on walls, pre-order signs for seasonal foods, and casual remarks like,“もうすぐ節分ですね” — Setsubun is coming soon.

That’s how the season announces itself.

So, what exactly is Setsubun?

If you open a Japanese calendar, the year’s holidays are laid out with precision.Among them, Setsubun stands out—it is clearly marked, yet comes with no day off. A “holiday” of sorts, but without rest.

Setsubun falls on the day before Risshun (the beginning of spring), usually on February 2nd or 3rd, depending on the year.In traditional East Asian calendars—especially familiar to many Chinese readers—Risshun marks the true beginning of the year. Setsubun, therefore, becomes the real dividing line between the old and the new.

Even its name says it plainly:the division of seasons.Simple. Almost blunt.

How is Setsubun celebrated in Japan?

For the most part, it’s a children-centered event.The main ritual is mamemaki—bean throwing.

Children scatter roasted soybeans (easily found at any convenience store) while shouting:“鬼は外、福は内”Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi —Out with the demons, in with good fortune.

The “demons” here aren’t literal monsters.They represent misfortune, illness, worries, bad luck—and all those slightly negative emotions we’d rather not carry forward.

Why soybeans?The explanation is mostly passed down by word of mouth. In Japanese, “to destroy evil”—魔を滅する（まをめっする）—can be shortened phonetically to mame, which happens to sound exactly like “beans.”

Thus, beans became symbols of purification.

Personally, I suspect soybean producers may have had a hand in this story—but I have no proof.

In recent years, another Setsubun custom has become popular: eating ehō-maki.Good ingredients are rolled together, and facing the year’s lucky direction, you eat the entire roll in silence, in one go—a wish for smooth and steady luck in the year ahead.

Setsubun is not a lively festival.It is, instead, a very Japanese kind of psychological seasonal change.

From New Year’s Day to Setsubun, there is a built-in adjustment period.Things left unfinished from last year can be wrapped up.What you didn’t manage to let go of can be sorted and cleared before Setsubun arrives.

Once it passes, the new year truly begins.Bad luck, troublesome relationships, lingering frustrations—they’re gently shut outside the door.Only the fresh air of a new beginning is invited in.

And then, quietly,we step into the next season.

Today happens to be Setsubun.So let’s shout it together:

“鬼は外、福は内！”Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi!

Here’s to welcoming a renewed version of ourselves.

(I’ll be sharing more small stories from the Japanese calendar—stay tuned.)