Setsubun (Bean-Throwing Festival) Coloring Pages

Setsubun (Bean-Throwing Festival) is an important day to mark the changing seasons and chase away bad things

Setsubun (Bean-Throwing Festival) means "dividing the seasons." It is the day when winter turns into spring. A long time ago, people believed that bad things (demons) came when the seasons changed. So, people throw beans on this day to chase away bad luck and bring in good luck. It is an important event!

What are its traits and symbols?

On Setsubun (Bean-Throwing Festival), people make a wish to chase away bad luck and have a happy new year.

• Bean Throwing: You throw beans while shouting out loud, "Oni out! Good luck in!" That is because people believe beans have the power to chase away bad things like oni and sickness.
• Holly Sardine: This is a decoration made by sticking a roasted sardine head onto a holly leaf. The smell of the sardine and the sharp thorns of the holly act as a charm to stop oni from entering your house.
• Fortune Beans: It is said that if you eat the beans used for bean-throwing equal to your age, or one more than your age, you will stay healthy without getting sick.

How to Enjoy Setsubun (Bean-Throwing Festival)

For Setsubun (Bean-Throwing Festival), you can enjoy the event merrily with your whole family.

• The Ogre and the Thrower: Usually, someone in your family wears an ogre mask to play the ogre, and the other family members throw the beans. When you all throw beans together, it brings lots of laughs and good fortune!
• Ehomaki Sushi Rolls: Another custom is to face the lucky direction for that year (Eho) and eat a whole sushi roll in total silence. People say this is so you don't let your good fortune escape!

How to choose colors: Use bright, lively, and powerful colors!

For your Setsubun (Bean-Throwing Festival) coloring page, try using lots of lively and bold colors that show both the powerful ogres and the cheerful, good fortune!

• Basic colors: Let's pick red (for the ogre), green (for the ogre's pants and the background of the lucky beans), yellow (for the lucky words and beans), and brown (for the beans).

Colors for each thing:

• Ogres:
  • Red Ogre: If you color the whole body in dark red or vermilion, and the horns in yellow or brown, it will look super cool and powerful!
  • Blue Ogre: If you color the whole body in blue or green, it will make a fun contrast with the red ogre!
  • Ogre's Shorts: If you color them in a tiger pattern (yellow and black stripes), your ogre will look extra strong!
• Fortune Beans: Color the beans in light brown or cream color. Make the bean bag or box stand out with bright colors, and color the "Fuku" (Good Fortune) character in red or gold!
• Holly-Sardine Charm: Color the sardine fish in silver (gray or light blue), and the holly leaves in dark green. That will give it a real warding-off-evil look!

How to color with 3D effects: Make the ogre look powerful and the beans look round!

To make the ogre look strong and the beans look round like real balls, think about "shadows" and "lights" as you color! Places that become shadows:

• Make the ogre look powerful by adding shadows to the hollow parts like the grooves of the ogre's muscles, facial wrinkles, and the inside of the kimono using a darker color than the main one.
• Beans: Add shadows to each bean with a darker color on the bottom and a lighter color on the top to make their round shape look 3D.

Where the light hits:

• People's smiles: If you color the parts where the light hits with bright colors, it will look bright and cheerful, bringing good fortune!

Let's Add Texture!

Colored pencils: You can make the ogre's bumpy skin look real by coloring evenly, but also adding a little bit of light and dark shades. If you color the tiny patterns on the kimono with a different color for each one, it will look colorful and fun!

Hints for enjoying your coloring page!

• Let's chase away the demons!
  • Color the children's smiling faces brightly as they throw beans, and show how they are happily chasing away the demons!
• Make a wish!
  • In the picture of people eating beans, try coloring the fuku-mame to look yummy while wishing for "health" and "happiness"!

Did You Know It Actually Happens 4 Times a Year?

The word Setsubun (Bean-Throwing Festival) means "dividing the seasons." Long ago, there was a Setsubun (Bean-Throwing Festival) before the start of spring, summer, fall, and winter. That means it used to happen 4 times every year! The spring one was the most important because spring was seen as the start of a new year. That is why today, people call only the spring one Setsubun (Bean-Throwing Festival).

Why Do We Throw Beans?

In Japanese, the word for bean, "mame," sounds just like the words for "demon eyes" and "destroying evil." Because of this, people believe that beans have a special power to chase away bad demons!

Why We Use Roasted Beans

There is a rule that you must use roasted beans for Setsubun (Bean-Throwing Festival). If you use raw beans and miss one on the floor, it might sprout! People thought a sprouting bean meant "bad things (demons) will grow," which brings bad luck. So, we roast the beans well so they cannot sprout!

"Ehomaki" Means No Talking!

Ehomaki is a thick sushi roll that you eat while facing a lucky direction. If you talk while eating it, people say your good luck will run away from your mouth! The correct rule is to make a wish in your head and eat the whole thing in complete silence.

Demons Hate Smelly and Prickly Things!

On Setsubun (Bean-Throwing Festival), people sometimes decorate their front door with a sardine head and holly leaves. They do this because demons really hate smelly sardines and sharp holly prickers! It works like a shield to keep demons out of your house.