Beans

Yesterday at school, Ariana and her school mates celebrated Setsubun, a festival usually held the day before the start of spring (in the lunar calendar). It is a fun festival for kids, because there are adults in scary masks and the kids get to throw roasted beans at them, shouting "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" ("Devils out, happiness in").

In Japanese homes, people scatter the beans around their homes to rid them of any bad spirits. Afterwards you are supposed to pick up and eat the number of beans which corresponds to your age. We are not going to do this as between baba-san and myself, this would require eating too many beans and spoiling our appetite for dinner.

For your viewing pleasure, here is a video of Ariana singing during the celebration. Apparently she is the only one attempting the hand movements that go along with the song, lest you think she is having some sugar induced spasms.......