SPRING
© 1981 JAPANESE DUTCH SHINZEN FOUNDATION
Tokubetsu Omamori
Yamakage Shinto has a very old
tradition of making powerful omamori.
These are handmade and available
only upon request. Before Setsubun
sai (Spring ceremony) we send an
invitation letter with details how to
order this omamori.
SPRING CEREMONY
Spring ceremony heralds the arrival of
spring, the rebirth of nature after the
cold winter. Spring also evokes an urge
for cleaning.
In the Japanese lunar calendar the
arrival of spring is called setsubun.
That day all over Japan ceremonies are
held which are better known as the
“bean-throwing” ceremony. The
scattering of roasted soja beans means
to chase away evil and to attract good
luck. By eating an amount of beans that
equals the total of your years on this
planet, you will be lucky and healthy.
Yamakage Shinto has a secret
tradition to make a fire ceremony for
setsubun, which aims to purify the
individual, the family, the nation and the
planet.
Holland Yamakage Shinto celebrates
the arrival of spring around March 21
with a purifying fire ceremony. During
the ceremony newly made omamori are
charged with the invigorating energy of
nature. The old omamori of the previous
year will be burnt and purified.