On February 3rd, all across Japan you'll hear cries of "Oni wa soto. Fuku wa uchi", or "Demons out, good luck in". It's part of the yearly Setsubun festival and is believed to "drive away disease bringing evil spirits for the year to come." (taken from Wikipedia)
Today I've been doing my own "Oni wa soto" chants.
Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!, originally uploaded by hippoPAPA +mum (Bento~Life).
Ironically, just hours after my last post about all the food I wanted to eat, The Man and I were struck down with a nasty stomach bug. The little one had come down with it the day before and was still suffering so we had the three of us very ill at the same time. Most of the last 36 hours is a blur, but there is a moment that just seems surreal. I'd called the after hours doctor's service, concerned what the bug was doing to The post-transplant Man, and so found myself letting a complete stranger into the house at 3am because he was going stab us with needles.
Today we're all starting to feel human again and I'm in my post-sickness washing frenzy. The moment I start feeling the tiniest bit better, I need to strip all the beds, gather all the towels, load up any clothes that have been worn during the state of unwellness and wash. I know that all the germs have most likely gone but it's physical need I have to clean, no cleaning of bathrooms or kitchen, no vacuuming, just washing. No matter the weather, all windows and doors also need to be opened and today I've been almost trying to push the air out while calling "Oni wa soto!".
How about you? Is there something you feel the need to do to expel the "evil spirits"?
***Update - I've just realised that in my sick haze, I completely missed yesterday's Bookcase Tour and to announce the winner of the giveaway! I will try to do that either tonight or tomorrow. I'm so sorry! ***
***Update - I've just realised that in my sick haze, I completely missed yesterday's Bookcase Tour and to announce the winner of the giveaway! I will try to do that either tonight or tomorrow. I'm so sorry! ***
5 comments:
The giveaway and the Book Tour can wait. The most important thing is for you to regain your strength and health.
Get well soon - both you and your family!
Oh you poor things! I do hope all three of you are feeling so much better today.
Oh, please get well soon, all of you! Doing all that washing is a kind of symbolic thing, I think.
As weird as it sounds, my symbolic thing is weeding. Every weed I pull represents bad stuff that I am weeding out of our/my life!
Prayers are good too!
:-)
washing and scrubbing and opening windows... absolutely! Just the same.....
hope you all feel better now....
Oh that was not fun!I hope the trick worked to clear all those baddies :)xx
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