Let's read the story of Setsubun Oni! / Japanese Learning Support LLC
Let's read a story about the Setsubun Oni.
What did you all do for Setsubun this year?
When we think of Setsubun, we think of demons.
Today, let's read a folktale about Setsubun demons!
"Setsubun Oni"
Once upon a time there lived a poor old man.
This old man had lost both his wife and son at an early age and had been living alone ever since.
The only thing the old man enjoyed was visiting his wife and son's grave every day; there was nothing else he enjoyed.
The cold winter had arrived and the village was completely covered in snow.
One day, the old man went to visit the grave as usual.
As expected, there was a lot of snow piled up on the grave, so the grandfather carefully brushed it off and said,
Grandfather: "It's so cold. This winter would be so much fun without you guys. I have no sake or rice, and I'm spending my days in loneliness..."
So the old man went home alone.
On my way home, I heard some village children say:
Demons out! Good fortune in!
Demons out! Good fortune in!
Grandpa: "Oh, today is Setsubun... When my son was little, we used to throw beans a lot."
The grandfather went home and took out an oni mask from an old box.
Grandfather: "Oh, I miss you so much. My wife and son are no longer with us. There is no hope in this world."
The old man put on a demon mask and threw beans everywhere, shouting:
Demons in! Good fortune out!
Demons in! Good fortune out!
And then, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!!!
Someone knocked on the old man's door.
Grandpa: "Who is that??"
Red Oni: "Was this the house that summoned the demon?"
To everyone's surprise, the red and blue demons of Setsubun came to the old man's house.
Aooni: "Every house shouted 'Oni soto!' so I had nowhere to go... but this house was the only one that said 'Oni in!'"
Then, the other demons came in one after the other.
It had been a long time since my grandfather had had guests at his house, and he was very happy.
Grandpa: "Come on, it's a nothing-like house, but please come and warm yourself up."
In this way, the old man and the demons had a pleasant conversation.
Red Oni: "I'm so happy to be able to have such a fun party today. To thank you for inviting me to my house today, I'll give you a present. Is there anything you'd like?"
Grandpa: "Hmm, I wonder if there's something I want... Then I'd like some sweet sake that we can all drink."
Red Oni: "All right!"
The demons left the old man's house to get some sweet sake.
After a while, he came back and told the old man.
Blue Demon: "I'm back!"
Grandpa: "What is this?"
What the old man saw was a lot of food and money brought by the demons.
Akaoni: "Amazake alone is not enough of a thank you. I'll come again next year."
The old man thanked the demons and received a present.
The next day, he went to visit his wife and son's grave and said,
Grandfather: "I had no hope in this world, but I promised the demons that I'll meet them again next year. I'll try to live a little more cheerfully."
How was it?
Now, let's learn a little about Setsubun.
・What is Setsubun?
First of all, what is Setsubun?
If you look at the kanji, you can see that the "setsu" in "setsubun" means "seasonal" and the "bun" means "to divide."
In other words, dividing the seasons means that the seasons change.
When we think of Setsubun, we imagine it occurring around February 3rd, which marks the turning point from winter to spring and is also called "Risshun."
In addition to "risshun" (the beginning of spring), there are also "risshun" (the beginning of summer), "risshun" (the beginning of autumn), and "risto" (the beginning of winter), meaning there are a total of four times when the seasons change.
However, among these, "Risshun" is especially cherished as the beginning of the year.
That's why Setsubun has become a major event every year around February 3rd.
・Actually, isn't it only February 3rd?
Setsubun often falls on February 3rd, but it varies from year to year.
Sometimes Setsubun falls slightly off, as was the case this year when it fell on February 2nd.
Check the calendar to see when Setsubun is for that year.
・What will you do on this day?
What do we do on Setsubun?
Children's favorite event is "bean throwing."
A common scene in Japan is when adults wear demon masks and enter a room, and children throw beans at the demon to drive it away.
This demon represents "bad things" and "illness," and the beans are used to drive away the bad things so that they don't enter the house.
The phrase to say at this time is "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" (Demons out! Good fortune in!).
There is also a custom of eating ehomaki.
Ehomaki is a long sushi roll made of rice and side dishes wrapped in seaweed.
It is said that if you eat the ehomaki facing in the auspicious direction for the year and in silence (without talking), your wishes will come true.
By the way, Ehomaki typically has seven different ingredients, which comes from the Seven Lucky Gods, which are considered to be auspicious.
The Seven Lucky Gods are Ebisu, Benzaiten, Bishamonten, Daikokuten, Jurojin, Fukurokuju, and Hotei.
Common ingredients that are often added include eel, shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, cucumber, kanpyo (dried gourd), sakura denbu (fish paste), and rolled omelet.
Also, in some regions, people decorate the house with a fish called "sardine," which demons hate, and eat kenchinjiru soup.
Well, today I talked about the "Setsubun Oni" (Setsubun Demon) and a few things related to Setsubun.
I would be happy if everyone thought it was interesting!
That's all for today!
See you next time!
