Bean-Throwing Bonanza: Japan's Setsubun Festival Invites Fortune

Hundreds gathered at Tokyo's Zojoji temple for the traditional 'mame-maki' bean-throwing ritual, marking setsubun, the end of winter in Japan's lunar calendar. Participants, including celebrities, threw soybeans to banish evil and invite good fortune. The event, usually outdoors, moved indoors due to rain.

In a vibrant display of culture, hundreds flocked to Tokyo's Zojoji temple, engaging in the traditional 'mame-maki' ritual, a bean-throwing ceremony aimed at warding off evil and inviting luck. This annual event, marking setsubun or the end of winter on Japan's lunar calendar, is celebrated across the country.

Participants dressed in kimonos, including sumo wrestlers and actors, enthusiastically hurled dried soybeans at the crowd, chanting 'Oniwa soto, Fukuwa uchi!' or 'Demons out, fortune in!' Attendees eagerly collected the 'fukumame' packs, reflecting the symbol of vitality and purity in Japanese culture.

Due to rain, the ritual was held indoors, but spirits remained high. Families at home also partake, with elders in demon masks throwing beans and symbolically consuming them for fortune and health. Authorities caution parents to avoid feeding whole beans to young children to prevent choking.

(With inputs from agencies.)