Trivia about Setsubun

 

Setsubun (節分), usually celebrated on February 3rd, marks the day before the first day of spring according to the East Asian lunisolar calendar. However, due to the Earth’s orbital period of 365.2422 days, the date of Setsubun can shift. For instance, in 2021, as well as this year, Setsubun falls on February 2nd, a date that hadn’t occurred since 1984.

On Setsubun, it’s customary to perform mamemaki and enjoy ehōmaki. However, this year, the price of ehōmaki has surged by nearly 15% compared to last year. This increase is largely due to the price of rice, which has skyrocketed by 60% over the same period.

今年の節分は2月2日。節分は2月3日のことが多いが、そもそも節分とは立春の前日のこと。地球の公転の周期は365.2422日なので立春の日付けがずれる。2021年も2月2日が節分だった。その前は1984年まで遡る。

節分には豆まきをしたり恵方巻きを食べたりするのが習慣だが、今年の恵方巻きは去年と比べて15％近く値上がりしているそう。特にお米の値段が去年より6割も高くなっているそうだ。