Setsubun (節分), a traditional event marking the beginning of spring, usually falls on February third or fourth, according to the Japanese lunar calendar.
Japanese celebrate setsubun in many ways depending on the regions, and the bean throwing is one of the common ones.
We throw roasted soy beans around our houses, shouting, “”Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!” (“Devils out, Luck in!”)
Sometimes, someone in the family (usually the father) wears a devil’s mask and the rest of the family members throw the beans to “the devil” to scare him away.
And we eat the number of beans, which corresponds to our age for good luck and health.
To make roasted soybeans, soak the beans in boiling hot water for three hours. Drain for one hour and roast them in a pan with low heat for half an hour. You can roast the drained beans in the oven of 320 F for forty minutes.
With the roasted beans, hojicha, roasted green tea would be a perfect match.
Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!