Today, Feb. 3, is Setsubun, the last day before the start of spring on the solar calendar. There are 24 solar terms on the calendar, and Sunday is the 1st day of Risshun, the first solar terms of the year.

Each of those solar terms is divided into three micro-seasons of about 5 days each, for a total of 72 seasons in the year. This is the coldest time of the year, but this is the time hens begin laying, a harbinger of warmer weather to come. Families toss dried soybeans in their home and shout “Demons out! Good luck in!” In Kyoto, many people follow the Osaka custom of eating a big “ehoumaki” lucky direction rolled sushi while standing in silence and facing the lucky direction (East-Northeast for 2024).

by KyotoGaijin