This time, we’re sharing handmade Setsubun decoration ideas for older adults.
Since Setsubun is a traditional event passed down through the ages, many of you have probably celebrated it before.
Setsubun marks the division between winter and spring.
People pray to “stay healthy for the year,” eat ehomaki to ward off misfortune, and throw beans to drive away evil.
When making Setsubun crafts, put your heart into wishing for good health, and have fun creating them together—chatting and laughing—with everyone at the nursing home or day service.
- [For Seniors] Fun and Easy Oni Crafts to Liven Up Setsubun: Simple, Enjoyable Ideas
- Recreation Ideas for Seniors: Perfect for Setsubun and Bean-Throwing Activities
- [For Seniors] Fun February Crafts: Ideas Inspired by Setsubun, Valentine’s Day, and Other Events
- [Day Service] Setsubun decorations that bring smiles. Ideas for enjoying them with a variety of materials.
- [For Seniors] February Wall Decorations: Setsubun-Themed! Fun Ideas with Oni Demons and Ehomaki Sushi Rolls
- [For Seniors] Liven Up Setsubun Crafts! Handmade Ideas Using a Variety of Materials
- [For Day Service Centers] February Craft Ideas: Decorations for Setsubun, Valentine’s Day, and the Feeling of Spring
- [For Seniors] Recommended Wall Decorations and Crafts for January
- [For Seniors] Brighten Up Hinamatsuri: Wall Decoration Ideas
- For Seniors: Simple and Lovely Crafts – A Collection of Take-Home Project Ideas for Day Service
- [Day Service] Excited for Hinamatsuri! Craft ideas to brighten up your room
- For Seniors: Wall Decorations to Brighten Up February — Festive Ideas for Setsubun, Valentine’s Day, Plum Blossoms, and More
- For Seniors: Auspicious Handmade Zodiac Ornament Craft Ideas
[For Seniors] Wishing for Good Health: Handmade Setsubun Decoration Ideas (1–10)
Hanging ornaments
A must-see for anyone whose handmade creations are starting to pile up! Try making a charming hanging mobile to add a touch of seasonal atmosphere to your interior decor.
Many of you may enjoy quietly crafting pieces with origami and the like.
As your beautiful seasonal creations multiply, it really lifts your spirits, doesn’t it? But some of you might be wondering how to store everything as your collection grows.
In that case, try connecting your pieces with thread and turning them into a hanging decoration! If you group them by season or event and make separate mobiles, they’ll serve as seasonal decorations you can reuse next year.
It tidies up your room and makes it stylish too—two birds with one stone.
Setsubun wreath
Let’s make an origami wreath decorated with lots of Setsubun motifs! Wreaths are often associated with Christmas decorations, but in fact they can be enjoyed year-round, regardless of the season.
They are said to have originated in ancient Greece, where they were presented to Olympic victors.
Wreaths are also believed to ward off evil, making them perfect decorations for Setsubun, when ogres (oni) are thought to draw near.
Let’s craft a wreath base out of origami, along with decorative motifs like oni and Otafuku! You can stick it on a room door or the front entrance and enjoy it as a wall decoration.
paper-cup ogre
A wall decoration of oni made with paper cups has a distinctly Setsubun feel and lets you enjoy the season.
Just create parts like the face and horns, then attach them to a paper cup covered with torn-and-pasted origami paper to make a cute oni.
Since there are many moments when you’ll use scissors and other tools, please be careful with your hands as you work.
If you also make beans for bean-throwing, this craft is not only a wall decoration but can also be enjoyed by using the oni as a target for mamemaki.
Highly recommended!
Setsubun decoration: holly and sardine (hiiragi-iwashi)
Hiiragi iwashi, displayed during Setsubun, has a distinctive look: a sardine head pierced onto a sprig of holly.
It’s said to ward off evil because demons dislike the smell and the prickly leaves.
Using this idea, you’ll make a sardine head, two holly leaves, and a stick.
For the sardine, fold an origami square into a triangle to make a crease, open it, then fold the two left edges to the center crease.
Use the opposing corners of the folded section to form the mouth, and shape the rest into the head.
For the leaves, take small origami squares, fold the diagonal corners to create a leaf shape, then accordion-fold to finish.
For the stick, cut a narrow strip of origami paper and fold it gatefold (both long edges in to meet at the center).
Fan ornament of an Oni and Otafuku
A lucky collaboration of folding fans, Otafuku, and oni! Simply make the oni, Otafuku, and fans out of origami and paste them together to create a wall decoration with a distinctly Japanese feel.
Decorating them together with the characters for “Setsubun” or “fortune,” as well as plum blossoms, will enhance the early-spring atmosphere for a beautiful finish.
Using chiyogami and other traditional Japanese patterned papers is also recommended.
The folding methods aren’t very complicated, but if they’re difficult, it’s a good idea to prepare the oni and Otafuku in advance so you can start from the decorating step.
Ehomaki made with a toilet paper roll core
Ehomaki is a type of rolled sushi considered lucky to eat silently while facing the year’s auspicious direction, known as the “eho,” on Setsubun.
It sparked a nationwide boom after 2000 and has since become a familiar winter tradition, but eating an entire roll in silence can be quite a challenge.
Instead, try a craft project using a toilet paper roll as the base, along with origami paper and tissues—it’s great for finger dexterity training, too.
You can’t eat it, of course, but making it while praying for good health is a Setsubun-style activity that lifts your spirits and keeps you looking forward.
Oni (demon) made from a paper roll core
Let’s make a simple oni (demon) decoration using a toilet paper roll! Prepare a roll cut in half, and attach origami paper with a pattern for the pants up to half its height.
On the upper half, glue origami paper in the color of the oni you want to make, then draw the eyes and mouth.
Cut out a cloud-shaped hair piece, attach the horns to it, and stick it on top of the oni’s face—and you’re done! The roll’s rounded shape makes for an adorable oni.
Since you just cut, draw, and glue, it’s easy to make and perfect for recreation activities at day service centers.