Monday, February 04, 2008

ONI WA SOTO, FUKU WA UCHI!

Yesterday, February 3 was SETSUBUN NO HI which remarks the start of spring. It is traditionally celebrated by driving away bad luck and bring in good luck. Most of the traditional rituals revolve around beans, because they considered it as lucky. I already posted last year, February-- some of the explanations about this rituals.
Every year, Sachan perform the throwing of beans around the house. But since she's away... I replaced her and my hubby performed around his clinic while chanting (in a small voice!!!) ONI WA SOTO, FUKU WA UCHI or "out with the evil and in with good luck"!
Here's the pack of the beans I am talking about. The beans in yellow pack is thrown outside the house to drive away bad luck while the beans on the pink pack is thrown inside the house to bring in good luck! After that... as part of the tradition... the Japanese eat EHOU-MAKI. It's a big, long, uncut sushi roll. Basically, it contains seven ingredients because they said that seven is a lucky number. If you'll eat it, it should not be cut because it might cut-off your luck! Then, you should face in a lucky direction... the HIGASHI or east direction. Some says, the lucky directions is changing every year! I've heard that the lucky direction this year is south east! Finally, you should eat it in silence!
We, actually bought ehou-maki in Itoyokado. The one that contains seven ingredients was already sold out... so we just choose the eight ingredients... anyway, eight is a lucky number for me! I also discovered that they are not just selling ehou-maki in seven ingredients. I also found four, five ingredients! They're selling cut ehou-maki too!
According to my hubby... there are some regions that have different custom in eating ehou-maki. Sooo... I did my own way too... we just ate it in ordinary way... what count most to us was that the ehou-maki we bought tasted very good! No wonder it's expensive! GOCHISOU SAMA DESHITA!

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