Every year at the beginning of February, if you were to visit a local primary school or kindergarten, you might see some rather strange sights. Some children or an adult might be wearing scary ogre masks. Most children would be throwing roasted soybeans (or peanuts) around the room. And you would hear shouts of 'Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi' which roughly means 'demons out, good luck in'. In the past all sorts of other traditions took place on 3rd February (the spring festival) as people wanted to get rid of evil spirits and welcome in its place good luck and happiness. In some areas there is special rolled sushi which is eaten ostensibly to drive out the demons and bring in good luck. Alistair went to an after-school club this week (the day before the 'bean-throwing' fetsival day) and came home saying everyone had been throwing the beans and shouting - but he happily announced he didn't throw any. He was happy though to come back home with a few packets of peanuts. While in some ways, this can be seen as just fun for children, of course there are also underlying spiritual elements. But there are grains of truth to be found which can become building blocks for the gospel. Yes we need rid of the 'bad stuff' within us; and yes we need to be cleansed. As we grapple with these traditions and whether to be involved in them, it is always good to stand back and see how we can use these things as a contact point to share the gospel. We don't need to throw beans or shout for the demons to get out - in Jesus ours sins are taken away once and for all, our hearts are cleansed and we know daily the joy of his being with us.
Showing posts with label festivals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label festivals. Show all posts
Friday, February 4, 2011
Bean throwing
Every year at the beginning of February, if you were to visit a local primary school or kindergarten, you might see some rather strange sights. Some children or an adult might be wearing scary ogre masks. Most children would be throwing roasted soybeans (or peanuts) around the room. And you would hear shouts of 'Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi' which roughly means 'demons out, good luck in'. In the past all sorts of other traditions took place on 3rd February (the spring festival) as people wanted to get rid of evil spirits and welcome in its place good luck and happiness. In some areas there is special rolled sushi which is eaten ostensibly to drive out the demons and bring in good luck. Alistair went to an after-school club this week (the day before the 'bean-throwing' fetsival day) and came home saying everyone had been throwing the beans and shouting - but he happily announced he didn't throw any. He was happy though to come back home with a few packets of peanuts. While in some ways, this can be seen as just fun for children, of course there are also underlying spiritual elements. But there are grains of truth to be found which can become building blocks for the gospel. Yes we need rid of the 'bad stuff' within us; and yes we need to be cleansed. As we grapple with these traditions and whether to be involved in them, it is always good to stand back and see how we can use these things as a contact point to share the gospel. We don't need to throw beans or shout for the demons to get out - in Jesus ours sins are taken away once and for all, our hearts are cleansed and we know daily the joy of his being with us.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
It's parade time
Summer is festival time in Japan. When we lived in Otaru, almost every weekend there was a festival (usually linked to the local Shinto shrine)happening in some area. There are sideshows, lots of food and drinking, and just as importantly, the local 'god' is taken from his residence in the local Shinto shrine and paraded through the streets in a box supported by long poles and carried by the local men. Even the tiniest villages mark their local festival and parade the 'god' through the streets (or even just along the one street in the village) and back to the shrine. As we were on holiday, we saw several such processions in little coastal villages. All very bright and fun looking. But how the Japanese need to hear of and come to know the one, true God who is with us always.
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