To celebrate the arrival of spring on the lunar calendar’s last day of winter, people in Japan throw and catch soybeans as a part of a tradition known as “mame-maki,” which translates to “bean-throwing.”
Celebrities and athletes will gather in public spaces like temples and shrines to toss soybeans into crowds of hundreds. The soybeans are regarded as symbols of vitality and purity in Buddhist and Shinto practices.
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Hundreds usually gather outside of Tokyo’s Zojoji Buddhist temple, but thanks to some inclement weather, the festivities were brought indoors this year. The casting of soybeans is all to cast out demons, hence the chance that could be heard shouted by celebrities and sumo wrestlers who attended the event who were shouting “Oniwa soto, Fukuwa uchi!” which means “Demons out, fortune in!”
Hundreds In Japan Gather at Bean-Throwing Ritual To Ward Off Evil Spirits As Spring Nears
Attendees hope to catch the beans so they can secure what’s called a “fukumame,” or a symbolic lucky bean so that they can have a bit of good fortune heading into the season of renewal. There are tons of families across Japan to also celebrate at home.
Often, the eldest member of the family will wear a red demon mask while tossing the beans at family members. As is customary, people are supposed to eat the beans afterward, those who caught the beans are to eat the same number of beans as their age plus one more one for good luck and health
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