Celebrating Japanese Setsubun in Canada Demons out! Good Fortune In! This is what the Japanese festival Setsubun is all about! Setsubun is an annual Japanese festival on February 3rd. This is the eve before Spring according to the Japanese lunar calendar. The Japanese traditionally believe that the spirit world is closest to our world on […]
https://i0.wp.com/valleyfamilyfun.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Setsubun.png?fit=560%2C315&ssl=1315560ValleyFamilyFunhttps://valleyfamilyfun.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/vff_logo2-300x69.pngValleyFamilyFun2019-02-04 07:21:552019-02-04 07:21:55Celebrating Japanese Setsubun in Canada
10 Things to Remember to Prepare Your Child for University Life Disclosure: This is a sponsored post to give you some great tips about preparing your child for university life. At some point, every child grows old enough to be an adult. Sending children to study at the university is a big event in any […]
https://i0.wp.com/valleyfamilyfun.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/PrepareUniversity.png?fit=560%2C315&ssl=1315560ValleyFamilyFunhttps://valleyfamilyfun.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/vff_logo2-300x69.pngValleyFamilyFun2019-02-01 07:41:262019-02-04 18:35:1210 Things to Remember to Prepare Your Child for University Life
Celebrating Japanese Setsubun in Canada Demons out! Good Fortune In! This is what the Japanese festival Setsubun is all about! Setsubun is an annual Japanese festival on February 3rd. This is the eve before Spring according to the Japanese lunar calendar. The Japanese traditionally believe that the spirit world is closest to our world on […]
https://i0.wp.com/valleyfamilyfun.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Setsubun.png?fit=560%2C315&ssl=1315560ValleyFamilyFunhttps://valleyfamilyfun.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/vff_logo2-300x69.pngValleyFamilyFun2019-02-04 07:21:552019-02-04 07:21:55Celebrating Japanese Setsubun in Canada
10 Things to Remember to Prepare Your Child for University Life Disclosure: This is a sponsored post to give you some great tips about preparing your child for university life. At some point, every child grows old enough to be an adult. Sending children to study at the university is a big event in any […]
https://i0.wp.com/valleyfamilyfun.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/PrepareUniversity.png?fit=560%2C315&ssl=1315560ValleyFamilyFunhttps://valleyfamilyfun.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/vff_logo2-300x69.pngValleyFamilyFun2019-02-01 07:41:262019-02-04 18:35:1210 Things to Remember to Prepare Your Child for University Life
Demons out! Good Fortune In! This is what the Japanese festival Setsubun is all about!
Setsubun is an annual Japanese festival on February 3rd. This is the eve before Spring according to the Japanese lunar calendar. The Japanese traditionally believe that the spirit world is closest to our world on this day. As a result, it’s believed that strange things can happen such as demons appearing. source
When I lived in Japan, I celebrated Setstubun with my Japanese neighbours.
When cleaning up, I found some supplies I had kept, and decided we should have our very own Setsubun party at home in Canada.
This Japan Talk blog post does such a great job of explaining how Setsubun works.
One of the fun parts of this festival is a tradition called mamemaki, literally “bean throwing.” In households across Japan, one parent puts on a oni mask to scare the kids. Kids throw beans at them to scare them away.
We cheated a bit and made homemade sushi (but didn’t have 7 ingredients).
However, we did make sure we ate our first roll facing East-Northeast! Special thanks to our friend Emily who went along with the whole event!
After dinner was when the real fun began!
My husband, David, took the role of the Oni (demon) and put on our mask.
He then tried to scare and chase the kids around the house, while they shouted:
“Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!” (Demon out! Happiness in!)
As they do this, they throw dried beans at the demon to chase him out, and invite good luck. I happened to have some of the Setsubun beans leftover from my days in Japan, but you can also use shelled peanuts, too!
David wants it recorded that being hailed with peanuts and beans actually DOES hurt! But, he was a great sport.
In the end, there was a mess that the dogs enjoyed!
If you don’t want all the mess in the house, or don’t have an Oni, then you can use the same incantation and chuck the beans outside. It works just as well!
But, it was all worth it to welcome good fortune into our house, knowing we had shooed away the demons!
We capped the night off with a few rousing rounds of our new favourite game, Sushi Go!
What a great night to celebrate the Japanese festival of Setsubun, in our Canadian way! We can’t wait until next year!
https://i0.wp.com/valleyfamilyfun.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Setsubun.png?fit=560%2C315&ssl=1315560ValleyFamilyFunhttps://valleyfamilyfun.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/vff_logo2-300x69.pngValleyFamilyFun2019-02-04 07:21:552019-02-04 07:21:55Celebrating Japanese Setsubun in Canada
10 Things to Remember to Prepare Your Child for University Life
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post to give you some great tips about preparing your child for university life.
At some point, every child grows old enough to be an adult. Sending children to study at the university is a big event in any parent’s life.
This is the time when your child has to venture out into the world and find their place in it.
Undeniably, this experience is somewhat emotional for both, the child and the parents. Many challenges await any individual who is going through this period in their life.
Here are some tips and things to keep in mind when preparing your child for the university life.
#1: Prepare Emotionally
When it is time for your child to head out, it can, understandably, involve a lot of emotions. Sometimes, emotions can be overwhelming and it is okay to cry. Surprisingly, many parents are mostly more nervous than children! Always keep in mind that things are going to be good for your child as you have done a great job as a parent to prepare them for adult life.
#2: Help Your Child with the Application Process
The application process can be complicated. It involves several things such as submitting an application, applying for accommodation and buying travel cards. Applying to several universities at once makes the process a lot more stressful and hard to keep the track of. Feel free to step in and help your child with preparing the needed application papers on time.
Professional writers can make essay writing easy. No need to be nervous, online platforms have already helped hundreds of applicants with editing, rewriting and even writing admission essays from scratch.
#3: See What the University Is Like
It’s a good idea to do some scouting before sending your child to study somewhere they have never been before. Although websites provide a lot of information these days, it is best to see yourself how things truly are in the place where you plan to send your child. In addition to visiting the campus and the student dormitory, check out the nearby neighbourhoods to get an idea of the environment your child is going to be living in.
#4: Provide Safety Guidelines
At some point before your child leaves, have a chat about things like personal safety, alcohol, drugs, safe sex, and other potential encounters in adult life. Teens like to think they know everything and can take care of everything themselves. Nonetheless, a few student safety tips from their parents will never hurt. Besides, such sincere talks serve a great means of establishing closer relationship between parents and children.
#5: Teach Your Child to Cook
Most adults are able to make a meal for themselves. If you have not done so already, now is the time to share some cooking tips with your child. Not everybody is a master chef, however, anybody can get the hang of the basics of cooking. Cooking is an essential life skill, especially when living in a dormitory. Students often order prepared meals or buy fast food, and whether you want it or not, your child might not be an exception.
Just try to explain the value of healthy food and share some easy to cook recipes.
#6: Stock up in Advance
Your child will need a lot of things to live away from home. Start preparing in advance. Buy them the basic cooking utensils that they will need when they arrive. Also, think of all the essential things they will need such as towels, toothbrushes, and some stationery. This will save them a lot of money and make their life away from home much easier. Try to go shopping together so that the chosen pillow or blanket appeals to your child too.
#7: Pack Some Pictures
Get your child some posters to decorate their room. Also, do not hesitate to give them some pictures to remind them of home. Some kids may be shy to keep a family picture in their dorm. A picture of a pet will suffice in this case, if you have any. They can be a beacon of light during tough moments.
#8: Teach to Manage Finances
At some point, a person has to take control of every aspect of their finances. Most people start to learn it when they move out of their parents’ house. Although the tuition fee will include the majority of the expenses, your child will need to manage their day-to-day budget, food expenses, and more than likely will spend some money to have fun.
As your child is preparing for university life, it is a great time to show them the basics of money management at university. This way, they will be prepared once their first semester in university begins.
#9: Treat Them Like Adults
They will always be your kids, however, children grow up and start to live their own lives. Be supportive of your child but give them freedom to make their own choices. Let them try and let them fail. Any loving and caring parent will try to save their child from harm but sometimes allowing your child to make their own mistakes will do them more good in the future.
#10: Continue the Communication
People are social creatures, your child is no different. Although they are growing up to become independent adults, this doesn’t mean you should stop talking to each other. In fact, get in touch with your kid once in a while. Get to know how they feel about their university life. A parent can and should be a friend to their child.
https://i0.wp.com/valleyfamilyfun.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/PrepareUniversity.png?fit=560%2C315&ssl=1315560ValleyFamilyFunhttps://valleyfamilyfun.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/vff_logo2-300x69.pngValleyFamilyFun2019-02-01 07:41:262019-02-04 18:35:1210 Things to Remember to Prepare Your Child for University Life
