Description
This year’s Hoshi Matsuri (Star Festival) Prayer Service and Mamemaki (Bean Tossing) Ritual will be held at the temple on Sunday, February 16th at 1:30 pm. The service will also be broadcast live via Zoom.
At the Hoshi Matsuri Prayer Service, we pray to the stars for a year of happiness and good fortune and to ward off misfortune. The stars represent the moon, sun, planets, comets, and constellations whose movements according to Japanese astrology influences our lives and determines our fortune. During the Hoshi Matsuri Service, the Goma Fire Ritual and ceremonial burning of the Soe Gomagi (wooden prayer sticks, sold separately) will also be performed by Reverend Coy. The Soe Gomagi with each person’s prayer / wish to the Buddha will be burned in the Goma fire as we pray for our wishes to come true. The Hoshi Matsuri omamori will also be blessed during this ritual.
The Mamemaki Ritual, which will be held following the service, is a traditional Japanese ritual to cleanse and drive away the demons of misfortune by throwing fuku mame (good luck beans) and inviting in good fortune by chanting “Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi ” (demons of misfortune out, good fortune in).
Find your Star in the chart below. You can click on the image to download a PDF version.
Please Note:
This is based on the 2025 lunar year, which begins on January 29, 2025, and ends on February 16, 2026, anyone born on January 29 and after can find their fortune for the year by using their birth year to locate their star. However, a person born between January 1st to January 28 is considered to have been born the year before and should use the previous year’s birth year to locate their star. For example, a person born on January 15th, 2002 should use the 2001 birth year to find his / her star.
