February 3rd is the day of Setsubun.
Setsubun refers to the day before the beginning of each season.
Out of all the 4 Setsubun days, Risshun (the first day of spring) is the most special day.
It is believed that Oni(Ogre) comes when the seasons change in Japan.
There are many rituals to exorcise these Oni and invite fortune.
At Sakura House, we played a game to bust Oni by throwing balls.
We also made Ehomaki (a long sushi roll) and ate them praying for happiness throughout the year.
In the afternoon, Oni showed up and came to attack us.
Everyone was so hard to try to exorcise Oni saying “Oniwa-soto” meaning “Ogres out!”.
In A&C session, everyone made a Oni mask or a god of fortune mask and showed them to their family member.
02/02/2017
