Setsubun and Risshun: the changing of the seasons
A trip to the Kyoto Botanical Garden and to a shrine for Setsubun as we start to use spring flowers for ikebana.
End of January and February are very cold in Kyoto, but underground, spring flowers are already preparing to emerge. Recently on my way from Gyoen to Sanjo, I spotted the first daffodils and plum blossoms.
On February 3rd, I visited the Kyoto Botanical Garden, where many plum trees were quietly blooming in the crisp winter air. Their fragrance was very soft and subtle, almost easy to miss.
A February visit to Kyoto Botanical Garden
I love spring flowers for their fragile textures, sweet scents, and breathtaking colors. Even though the days are still cold, moments like these remind me that warmer days are on their way.
Even if we did get covered in snow just a few days later...
Kyoto in snow
Still... spring is just around the corner.
Setsubun
February 3rd is a traditional Japanese festival day called Setsubun. Setsubun marks the beginning of spring in the old lunar calendar. On this day, we throw roasted soybeans to drive away evil spirits while saying, “Demons out, fortune in.”
Our first Setsubun in Kyoto
When I was in kindergarten, teachers would dress up as oni (demons) and come into our classroom and shout, “Where are the bad kids?” It was a little frightening at the time, but also exciting. I still remember how my friends and I threw beans at the oni as hard as we could, laughing and screaming at the same time.
This year, we went to a shrine near our home and joined the local celebration. I haven’t seen such a large crowd in our neighborhood before. Where we usually see a slightly older crowd at local community events, because it was Setsubun there were many young children, which brought a joyful feeling to the whole thing.
My daughter absolutely loved the event. She said it was so much fun. Watching her experience Setsubun made me realize how long it had been since I celebrated it myself. It made me a bit nostalgic. Instead of being the child throwing beans at the oni, I was now watching my own daughter do the same.
Setsubun is meant to welcome a new season. For me this year, it also felt like welcoming a new stage of life.
This week, paid members can continue below to learn about Risshun (立春, the beginning of spring) and how to work with living stems in your ikebana arrangements.