interesting

[bardiphouka]

Happy Setsubun..On setsubun there is special ritual called, "mamemaki (bean-throwing)" to expel demons and invite fortune. One opens the windows of the house at night and throws roasted soybeans saying "Oni wa soto, Fuku wa uchi (Get out Ogre! Come in Happiness!)."





You know, I think one of the sad things is the decline of ritual in society. i think it is a helpful thing, but that is me.

Comments

[jamiethered.livejournal.com]

I agree with your belief in the value of rituals. The old ones are rarely practiced and the new ones seem to be self-destructive. There's also the community aspect to them that is lost in a world where everyone practices their own.

[bardiphouka.livejournal.com]

Alas, a large percentage of the rituals that are practised at all, at least in the western world,tend to be agricultural, and there is just not that large an agricultural base anymore. And while there is certainly a place for personal and family ritual, I think that we need new community rituals.

The problem of course is that rituals need to sneak in the back door so that it looks like they were always there?