I’m posting this entry one day early so that if you wish to celebrate Setsubun in time, you can 
Setsubun no hi (節分の日) falls on the 3rd of February every year. It indicates the start of Spring and though its not an official public holiday, there are still many traditional acts associated with it which we observe.
[i referenced a lot of information from wikipedia cos i was lazy to think up what to write]
Mamemaki aka Bean-Throwing
Roasted soybeans are thrown either out of the door or at a family member wearing an Oni (demon or ogre) mask
The throwers chant “Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!” whilst throwing the beans.
Basically they are cleansing the home by driving away the evil spirits that bring misfortune and bad health with them.
Then, as part of bringing luck in, it is customary to eat roasted soybeans
Young kids tend to eat, one for each year of one’s life, and in some areas, one for each year of one’s life plus one more for bringing good luck for the year to come. But most adults just eat whatever amount XD i dont think its really tradition, just something kids do or were told.
Possibly as a further means to torment me, my bestie gifted my husband with the following:
Yes a bean shooting gun made out of bamboo.
Here are instructions on how they work
After the husband almost launched a bean at my flatscreen tv by mistake, i confiscated the weapon.
[Shoutout to bestie: gee thanks for giving it to him!!]
Ehoumaki
Food wise, one must not forget the Ehoumaki 恵方巻き. Originally a kansai region thing [i am from kanto aka eastern tokyo where tokyo is] it has become so widespread i think everyone in Japan takes part in it. Supermarkets and convenience stores cash in on this fad with specially made Ehoumaki rolls for sale.
Ehoumaki kinda look like normal sushi rolls except there is always 7 ingredients in them. 7 being a lucky number. [Sometimes its 8 ingredients too. which is also a lucky number]
There are some rules in how you consume them though..such as…you must never never cut them and you must eat it in the lucky direction of the year. [This changes every year, for 2012 its 北北西, north north west] Oh and you should not make any noise or talk whilst eating this sushi roll.
Do you celebrate Setsubun? is there something similar where you are from? Do share!
I’ve been a bit withdrawn lately. I hate being all doom and gloom so i deleted my twitter but i reactivated it 12 hrs later though cos i still have some outstanding swaps/orders so i decided it wasnt right for me to delete it since people might wonder where the heck i am. I got some unfortunate news lately and i feel like all the wind has been knocked out of me. Dont get me wrong, in the grand schema of life, i know its just a hurdle.
I just gotta get back on track
Wishing you all the best too!!!!
XOXO Yumeko
Disclaimer: as i am extremely busy the month of February, most of the blog posts this month were written quite a while ago. So if something doesnt make sense or seems weirdly dated, thats probably why. I do try to re-read everything before i post it of cos. hope u understand
Added: As a matter of fact, this post [the setsubun part] was written last year with pics from last year’s setsubun haha but i never got round to posting it so i saved it for an entire year hahahaha
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lol u are correct, sorry abt that. like i said i wrote this post last yr so i didnt check everything XD
will fix it!
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hahahah i am trying to get rid of it before he hurts himself
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glad i can share it with u
i dont think ppl necessarily are interested to read abt these things but i figured i would write anyway.
i’m glad at least one person found it interesting XD
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hahahahah its a bit of fun actually. i think the monster finds it funny too.
i use the compass on my iphone! so ur andriod must have something too
i do follow the rules. but just for one roll. i eat the rest of the dinner normally hahaha
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wat are u talking abt? meeeee! meee i expect u to be consistent abt posting heeheee
no he was aiming at the wall which then bounced towards my tv hahahahah omggg
u just face that direction [i use the compass on my phone XD] and eat the roll in silence.
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thank you! wishing u all the best for the year too!
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i am sorry to hear abt the bout of bad news u have been getting, all the best to you for this year!
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me too! cant wait
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thank u so much!! xx
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thanku! much appreciated
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i hid it for this year hahaha its just too dangerous
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sorry to hear things are not well for u
wishing u all the best as well
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thank u ! u are very kind
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thank you for reading!
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wishing u all the best my dear xx
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did u get ur ehoumaki?
i hope u did
thank u for the wellwishes dear
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no its not available year round, only during setsubun
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haha i think he might hurt someone if he played with it outdoors XD
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yes indeed
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