Kyoto Festival: Bad Luck Exorcism at Heian Shrine (Setsubun-sai)

Setsubun, the day before spring, is celebrated on February 3rd each year. Heian Shrine is one of many sites in Kyoto that holds an event on this day. The festival begins in the inner sanctum, where priests perform rites. A recreation of the Heian period Daina no Gi ritual is held in the courtyard. This ritual was held at the Imperial Palace to cleanse misfortune. The ritual begins with an invocation before the altars. A warrior fires arrows in the cardinal directions to erect a sacred barrier. Another warrior symbolically cuts bad ties with a “sword“. Hōsōshi the demon queller leads a procession around the courtyard. Oni (demons/ogres) represent the misfortune people are trying to cleanse. A troupe of oni appear to make an assault on the shrine. At the Daigokuden stage, the oni perform the Oni no Mai dance. Shrine parishioners throw roasted soybeans to chase the oni out. They chant “oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi“ (“bad luck out, good luck in“). Crowds gather in the hopes of catching a pack of lucky beans. Some pe