Spring equinox (haru higan)

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Spring equinox, vernal equinox (haru higan)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Mid-Spring
***** Category: Seasons

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Explanation

Spring Equinox, haru higan, 春彼岸
"beyond the border of this world, the other side of the shore"
One week around Spring Equinox (shunbun)

Originally a traditional Buddhist holiday, this day is set aside to appreciate nature and show love for all living things.

................... Other KIGO in this context

"middle day", chuunichi 中日（ちゅうにち）
the middle day of the seven higan-days according to the Asian Lunar Calendar
"day of the 10 000 lights" mandoo bi 万燈日（まんどうび）

equinox ceremony, higan-e 彼岸会（ひがんえ）
visiting a temple or shrine at equinox, higan mairi
彼岸参（ひがんまいり）

"first day of the equinox period", higan taroo
彼岸太郎（ひがんたろう）
start of higan, iri higan 入り彼岸（いりひがん）, saki higan さき彼岸（さきひがん）, sode higan 初手彼岸（そてひがん）

last day of the equinox period, shimai higan
終い彼岸（しまいひがん）
higan barai 彼岸ばらい（ひがんばらい）

dumplings eaten at equinox, higan dango
彼岸団子（ひがんだんご）

temple with equinox celebrations, higan dera
彼岸寺（ひがんでら）
equinox ceremony group, higan koo 彼岸講（ひがんこう）

before equinox, higan mae 彼岸前（ひがんまえ）
after equinox, higan sugi 彼岸過（ひがんすぎ）



boat for the equionx ceremony, higanbune
彼岸舟（ひがんぶね）


road walked at equinox, higan michi 彼岸道（ひがんみち）
your appearance at the equinox, higan sugata
彼岸姿（ひがんすがた）


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http://www.jaist.ac.jp/misc/cosmos/sep95/holidays.html

For more details on the equinox see
Autumn Equinox (aki higan) 　 　　　

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Vernal Equinox
is one of the most traditional Japanese National Holidays. These holidays seem to have a double origin. One is the celebration of seasonal change typical of an agricultural society: this is the day when the day-time and the night-time are equal length. The actual date of the Vernal Equinox day may change from year to year due to leap year. Based on the Buddhist teaching, this Vernal Equinox is also called Higan no Chu-Nichi, as is Autumn Equinox on September 23rd.

Many Japanese visit their family tombs on this day in the middle of the week of Higan to pay their respects to their ancestors. People weed their family tombs, and leave flowers, incense and ohagi (sweet rice balls covered with red bean paste). It is tradition that ancestors' spirits prefer round food!
At Tama Bochi (Tama Cemetery), one of the largest cemeteries in the Tokyo area, we often experience heavy traffic on trains and highways on this day. Japanese consider this period the changing of the season, because it is usually around Higan that the cold front hanging over the Japanese islands weakens, and the weather changes to spring.
Thus we have a saying "Atsusa samusa mo Higan made" ("Heat and cold last until Higan").
http://www.asij.ac.jp/elementary/japan/jp_holi.html#mar20

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Worldwide use

North America

The first day of Spring, which, in northern New Hampshire, meant temps in the '20s, high winds and snow ass-deep on a tall Indian.
No green grass or crocuses, but plenty of deer to be seen.

equinox
deer forage amid
blowing snow

bob
Happy Haiku Forum, March 2008


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU

彼岸迄とは申せども寒哉
higan made to wa moosedomo samusa kana

"Fair weather by spring's equinox"
so they say...
liars!

by Issa, 1823

Winter was long in Issa's snowy, mountainous province. Shinji Ogawa notes that there is a Japanese proverb which states, "Hot or cold only lasts till an equinox." In Issa痴 province of Shinano, present-day Nagano Prefecture, this saying doesn't at all hold true. Literally, Issa is saying, "Only until the spring equinox [will the cold weather last], they say...[and yet] it's cold!" My rather free translation attempts to evoke Issa's emotion and humor.

Tr. David Lanoue


....................Comment from Gabi Greve

In my area in Okayama, Japan, they say as we learned above

atsusa mo samusa mo o-higan made
the heat and the cold only last until higan ...

so my first line of the above haiku would probably be (also judgeing from personal experience in the old Japanese farmhouse here in my mountains) :

cold only until spring equinox
or so they say -
and yet, it is COLD !


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vernal equinox -
the rising moon is lit
by the setting sun

Origa / Olga Hooper, USA, 2008
Look at her photos and read more haiku by Origa's friends here.


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Related words

***** Autumn Equinox (aki higan) 　 　Japan

***** Light offerings afloat (tooroo nagashi) (05)


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