節分

Yesterday was Setsubun here in Japan. According to Wikipedia this refers to the day before the beginning of Spring but up here in it's-winter-all-the-way-through-to-April Hokkaido we reckon their just taking the piss. Plus, as anybody who actually lives here can tell you, Setsubun really refers to "The Day of the Devil".
EEEUuuuuurrrggeeekkkkkkkk, or however you render the written equivalent of ominous screeching violins.
Yes, the Day of the Devil.
!!!!!
Apparently on this day throughout Japan households do battle with the dark forces of Satan. All that stands between them and unvanquishable darkness (and yes, I know, 'unvanquishable' is not a word. But it should be) are some peanuts.
Now, I could be misconstruing some of the finer details but basically the only way you are going to stop a full on attack by the Army of Darkness (!!!!!) is by throwing peanuts at them. Okay, that's not entirely true. You don't actually throw the peanuts at the Army, but rather you preempt their attack by flinging peanuts into those parts of the house where Satan's soldiers could be lurking. Like the kitchen, the bedrooms, the bathroom, the toilet, pretty much everywhere in fact. And during all of this indiscriminate peanut carpet bombing, you have to recite the mantra "鬼は外！福は内！", "Devils out, Luck in".
No, seriously.
This is Cian doing it round our house last night.

And thanks to the young exorcist's peanut flinging dexterity we are happily demon free here in the Teach Takahashi-Gaynor.
But for how long...