Setsubun (節分?) is the day before the beginning of Spring in Japan.[1][2] The name literally means "seasonal division", but usually the term refers to the Spring Setsubun, properly called Risshun (立春) celebrated yearly on February 3 as part of the Spring Festival (春祭 haru matsuri?).[3] In its association with the Lunar New Year, Spring Setsubun can be and was previously thought of as a sort of New Year's Eve, and so was accompanied by a special ritual to cleanse away all the evil of the former year and drive away disease-bringing evil spirits for the year to come. This special ritual is called mamemaki (豆撒き?) (literally "bean scattering"). Setsubun has its origins in tsuina (追儺?), a Chinese custom introduced to Japan in the eighth century.[