Posts Tagged ‘matsuri’

Celebrating Setsubun With Pan-kun

Yesterday was Setsubun, a festival celebrating the beginning of spring. As part of the festivities, pan-heated soybeans are thrown for good luck:

Setsubun has been celebrated in many ways, but perhaps the most common custom found throughout Japan is the traditional Mame Maki or the scattering/throwing of beans (mame) to chase away the evil oni (ogres, evil spirits, as depicted in the illustration which heads this article). In some ritual forms, the Toshi Otoko [literally "year man" but referring either to the "man of the house" or to men who are born in the animal sign of the coming year (rat for the year 2008)] will throw mame within the house or at someone perhaps dressed as oni and repeat the saying Oni wa Soto; Fuku wa Uchi (Get out Ogre! Come in Happiness!). After the ritual throwing of the beans, family members may then pick up the number of beans corresponding to their age; eating these brings assurance of good fortune in the coming year. These days, of course, it is not uncommon to see children dressed in masks of oni, others madly throwing beans, and all gleefully shouting for evil to hit the road. Prominent temples in Japan may also find monks or celebrities showering large crowds of people with mame to ward off spirits and welcome the renewal of the coming New Year.

Apparently super chimpanzee Pan-kun was not aware of how the Japanese celebrate Setsubun, so on Saturday night’s Shimura Zoo, Becky stopped by and taught him about the holiday. You can watch this video and follow along with the customs as they are performed [note: having your nose picked by a chimpanzee is not a Setsubun custom]:

And as an added bonus, some footage of a walrus oni having some ice beans thrown at it:

[Post script: If you're looking for some very cheap snacks, Setsubun beans should now be available in the bargain rack at a Japanese supermarket near you!]

Drunken Namahage Molests Women at Akita Prefecture Festival

The Namahage Festival, which is celebrated in the Oga area of Akita Prefecture every New Year’s Eve, usually happens as the JNTO describes it:

On New Year’s Eve, a group of 2 or 3 village youths disguised as a rather grotesque deity called Namahage, wearing large masks, straw raincoats and waist-bands, holding wooden knives and pails, go around visiting the houses at night, dancing along as they give out strange cries. They shout out menacing cries such as: “Any children crying?” “Any children disobeying their parents?” or “Any lazy daughters-in-law neglecting their work?”

However, the latest festival was a bit different, causing scandal and embarrassment for Oga tourism officials:

…one of five men sent to perform at a ryokan inn in the city on New Year’s Eve got drunk, staggered into a public bath and molested several women. Relatives of the assailed women complained to the association about the monstrous behavior displayed by the man in his 20s. The head of the neighborhood association that supplied the performer apologized.

Two neighborhood associations had been supplying performers at the time. They later met with Oga tourism officials to discuss the situation, resulting in the group that had supplied the offender being banned from supplying the city with namahage for three years.

Tourism officials and the Oga Municipal Government said it had also received two complaints from men, with one of them saying a man dressed as namahage groped his wife’s breasts.

No charges will be filed against the bath-invading namahage, since officials believe his apology to be sincere.

Cormorant Festival Makes Predictions for 2008

Every December, a city in Ishikawa Prefecture uses a Cormorant to predict the future:

At midnight on December 16 in Hakui City, Ishikawa Prefecture, a hunter carries a live cormorant into Keta Shrine. The head priest of the shrine performs Shinto rites at 3:00 A.M., afterward opening the doors of the main building and consecrating the cormorant in the sanctuary In the sanctuary the hunter exchanges questions and answers with the priest. Then, after all the lights are extinguished save for one on the altar, the cormorant is released. As it advances toward the light it also approaches the altar, and the manner of its approach provides a clue about the future. Its service rendered, the bird is returned to the sea.

Here is a video showing the results of this year’s divination:

Upon its release, the cormorant sat around doing nothing for several minutes, after which it flapped its wings and jumped onto the altar. Priests have interpreted this to mean that we should not rush things in the coming year, but instead act with prudence and discretion.

Mud Men Attack Japanese Island

Yesterday, the Okinawan island of Miyako-jima celebrated the Pantu festival, in which mud men invaders bring good luck to the islanders. Wikipedia describes the event as the following:

There is a unique festival called Pahntou (パーントゥ), which occurs in the ninth month of the old (lunar) calendar. Three men dressed in grasses and mud go about smearing it everywhere. They carry sticks in one hand and a simple but scary mask in the other. Those people who have been dirtied by the Pantu will have a year of protection. Owners of new homes will also invite Pantu to give a ‘blessing’ to their homes.

And here is a video from NTV’s new coverage of the event:

Looks like a really fun event, doesn’t it?