TsukuBlog
A Local Perspective on Life in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
MORE LOCAL CUSTOMS: DANGO-BURUMAI (団子振る舞い)- In Some Parts of Ibaraki Prefecture, 42-Year-Old Men are Presented Rice Dumplings (dango) AND Some New Underwear!
5 February, 2021
Yaku-Yoke Dango (厄除け団子)- Rice Dumplings for Those at an Unlucky Age, sold at Shimotsuma`s Taiho Hachiman Shrine
By Avi Landau
On the evening of February 3rd, which is called SETSUBUN, families throughout Japan perform a popular ritual called MAME MAKI (literally- bean throwing). What happens is this: one member of the household, usually the father, dons a demon mask ( most often a simple paper job), while the rest of the family pelts him with soy beans ( or occassionally peanuts) while shouting ONI WA SOTO, FUKU WA UCHI ( Evil out, good fortune in) ! Then everyone eats their own age worth of beans. The original idea for doing this was to spiritually purify the home and fortify the body on what was then t