Still in the throes of a record-breaking cold winter, we celebrated Setsubun on February 3 to welcome spring. Traditionally, Setsubun is celebrated to mark the end of winter and the beginning of spring, formally known as ‘risshun,’ according to the traditional calendar used in Japan many years ago. Rituals include scattering beans to chase away evil spirits (the sound of the beans hitting the floor scares away evil spirits) and eating Ehomaki (a thinner tube-like type of sushi) for longevity.

At Gregg, the K4 class made Oni (ogre) masks and where chased by the other grades and thrown beans at! We screamed over and over, “Evil Out! Happiness In!” to call in our good fortunes and welcome spring. We ate the same amount of beans as our age for extra fortune and wished for spring to come as our cheeks flushed red from the cold and exercise. With the amount of beans we ate and the Oni chasing that we did, we are at peace that a delightfully warm and sunny spring is just around the corner!