A bean-throwing ritual to celebrate seasonal change and ward off evil at a Japanese shrine

Scores gathered at a shrine in Japan’s Hakone to try and catch “lucky beans,” hoping to ward off evil spirits as they celebrate the last day of winter in the Japanese lunar calendar.
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Not just hocus pocus: when words were used to treat the sick

Incantations were not only meant to ward off demons, but also to calm patients. A look into medical history reveals what lies behind the idea of tooth worms and the power of utterances like "hocus ...
Janesville Gazette

Photos of Hakone Shrine marking Setsubun with bean-throwing to ward off evil spirits

HAKONE, Japan (AP) — Scores gathered at a shrine in Japan’s Hakone to try and catch “lucky beans,” hoping to ward off evil spirits as they celebrate the last day of winter in the Japanese lunar ...
KGW8

Photos of a bean-throwing ritual to celebrate seasonal change and ward off evil at a Japanese shrine

HAKONE, Japan(AP) — Scores gathered at a shrine in Japan’s Hakone to try and catch “lucky beans,” hoping to ward off evil spirits as they celebrate the last day of winter in the Japanese lunar ...