Setsubun, or Bean Throwing Festival.節分会の豆まき

３日午後３時２０分ごろ、東京都江東区富岡１丁目の深川不動堂で、節分会の豆まきに集まった参拝客が次々に転倒した。警視庁によると、女児（４）と男児（６）を含む男女計１０人が足などにけがを負い、９人が病院に搬送されたがいずれも軽傷という。

It's the Year of the Rabbit

Do the Japanese and Chinese have the same zodiacal calendar? The Japanese zodiacal calendar came from Chinese culture. The twelve-year cycle of animal years that is the basis of the Chinese zodiac is called the junishi in Japan, where spring and the new zodiacal year are ushered in with the annual Setsubun, or Bean Throwing Festival. Each year, on February 3rd or 4th, people are selected by virtue of their birth year according to the Chinese zodiac (this year is the Year of the Rabbit, so people born in any Year of the Rabbit may be chosen for the ceremony) to throw roasted soybeans from the temple's stage to the crowds; this drives away the evil spirit and brings the onlookers good luck. At home, beans are thrown while shouting, "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" ("Demons out, good fortune in!") Then everyone picks up the number of beans corresponding to his age and eats them for good luck. Some people also decorate their doorways with the heads of sardines; it seems the evil spirits don't like their smell. Who would?