Bean Day

"Mainly celebrated in Japan. People throw beans outside as they shout, "Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi!" This is said to ward off "demons," such as sickness and disaster, and invite a year of good health and peace."

—Nook Shopping seasonal event description

Bean Day (also known asBean-Throwing Day orSetsubun) is an event in theAnimal Crossing series based on the real-life Japanese eventSetsubun that occurs onFebruary 3 to celebrate the end ofwinter and the beginning ofspring. It was primarily exclusive toDoubutsu no Mori+,Doubutsu no Mori e+, and in Japanese towns inCity Folk andNew Leaf, but was made available worldwide inNew Horizons. During the festival,villagers will be carrying throwing beans, ormamemaki, throughout the day in order to fight off "ogres" in preparation for spring.

Appearances[edit]

InDoubutsu no Mori+ andDoubutsu no Mori e+[edit]

Tortimer telling the player about Bean-Throwing Day inDoubutsu no Mori+.

InDoubutsu no Mori+, the event is known asBean-Throwing Day (まめまきのひ^{[nb 3]},Mamemaki no Hi^?).Tortimer can be found near theshrine between 10 AM and 6 PM on this day. If spoken to, he will give the player abean-throwing set.

While the event itself does not appear inDoubutsu no Mori e+,Mom sends the player a letter mentioning the event on February 3. The event was removed inAnimal Crossing, and unlike most other Japanese events was not given an analogous replacement.

InCity Folk[edit]

In Japanese towns inAnimal Crossing: City Folk, Tortimer appears outsidetown hall on Bean Day. If spoken to, he gives the player either ablue ogre mask or ared ogre mask. Due to the discontinuation of theNintendo Wi-Fi Connection in 2014, this event, along its two items, can only be obtained in the Japanese version of the game.

InNew Leaf[edit]

Beau throwing beans at the player while they are wearing a Red Ogre Mask on Bean Day inNew Leaf.

A player posing in theevent plaza standee on Bean Day inNew Leaf.

InAnimal Crossing: New Leaf, the player will find Isabelle in theevent plaza. When spoken to, she will explain to them about the holiday and give them either a blue ogre mask or a red ogre mask; the player is able to choose only one. If the player talks to villagers while wearing one of the ogre masks, they will perform a shocked emotion and start throwing beans at the player, referring to the Japanese tradition of throwing beans at Oni to bring good luck. If the player is holding beans while wearing one of the ogre masks, villagers will remark to the player about an ogre wanting to throw beans.

From February 1 to February 3, instead of sellingfortune cookies,Timmy and Tommy's store will sell good-luck rolls and beans for 800 Bells. When the former is purchased,Timmy and Tommy will tell the player to eat the good-luck rolls while facing a specific direction in order to have good luck.

InNew Horizons[edit]

Thebean-tossing kit, part of theNook Shopping seasonal event inNew Horizons

While initially absent inAnimal Crossing: New Horizons, Bean Day (now referred to its Japanese name of Setsubun) was added in the1.7.0 Free Update and is celebrated in two occasions. The first is aNook Shopping seasonal event, where from January 25 to February 3, the player can purchase thebean-tossing kit. The second is aAble Sisters event, where from February 1 to February 3, the player can purchase ahorned-ogre mask,ogre costume, and anokame mask.

This is the first time that the event is celebrated internationally instead of being exclusive in Japan.

Gallery[edit]

Beau mistaking the player for an ogre while they are wearing a red ogre mask on Bean Day inNew Leaf.
Beans being sold at theNookling Junction inNew Leaf.
Two players throwing beans on two other players wearing ogre costumes inNew Horizons.
Four players, featuring two wearing ogre costumes and horned-ogre mask, celebrating Setsubun inNew Horizons