Today is Setsubun, a Japanese festival held on February 3rd or 4th, but always one day before the start of spring according to the Japanese lunar calendar. For many centuries, the people of Japan have been performing rituals with the purpose of chasing away evil spirits at the start of spring. The most commonly performed setsubun ritual is the throwing of roasted beans ‘out’ and ‘into’ one’s house. When throwing the beans, you shout, "Oni wa soto! ("Out with the bad/demons!") Fuku wa uchi!" ("In with the good!"). Afterwards it’s common to pick up and eat the number of beans, which corresponds to your age.