![]() What’s nature without being outdoors? During Shunbun No Hi, you can expect a majority of the events to be held outside, such as shrines putting on events. Then, you have the “love of nature” theme of the celebrations. If you want to celebrate the holiday like a local even more, you can do some spring cleaning, start a new hobby or set a new goal – all of which are activities common to this day. Shunbun No Hi is also a day for farmers to pray for “good luck” for their crops as it is a start of a new planting season. The celebrations would then be continued at burial sites to extend the gesture of the special day. Knowing Tokyo’s frantic pace, the holiday is a much-appreciated time to slow down and catch up with loved ones. In line with celebrating a love of all living things, families often travel back to their provinces or extended family residences to spend time with one another. On top of honoring ancestors, the holiday also celebrates a love of nature and all living things, another aspect influenced by Shintoism. The Vernal Equinox Day is a great example of past practices echoing in the modern age. Even though it is now a secular holiday, Shinto traditions such as visiting ancestral graves to pay respects continue to be upheld. ![]() People also bring flowers, clean the tombstones, and offer food such as a rice cake covered with bean powder called botamochi. It is believed that such gestures would honor their ancestors and help them cross the river.īefore Shunbun No Hi came to be following Japan’s 1948 post-war constitution separating church and state, it was a religious day called Shunki Koreisai, a Shintoist holiday observed to honor Japan’s emperors of the past. Therefore, it is customary for families to pay respect to their ancestors’ graves on this day. It is a Buddhist belief that when the hours of light and dark are equal, or an equinox, Buddha appears to help stray souls cross the between the earthly world and Nirvana. Shunbun No Hi: A time to pay respect to ancestors It will be celebrated on September 23 this year. The only other equinox of the year is the Autumnal Equinox Day which marks the start of autumn. For spring, this could be dates ranging from March 19 to March 22. ![]() In other words, the sun rises and sets precisely at the east and west, respectively. The term “equinox” means the time or date when the sun crosses the celestial equator, and day and night are approximately the same lengths. The moment also marks one of the two days of the year where light and dark hours are equivalent. You would also feel temperatures start to rise and, of course, see the gorgeous cherry blossoms begin to bloom. The holiday is actually a part of a seven-day period known as the equinoctial week of spring or Haru No Higan (春の彼岸). Haru No Higan is a Buddhist holiday exclusively celebrated by Japanese sects for a week, usually three days before and after Shunbun No Hi.Īstrologically, the Spring Equinox marks a changing of seasons, and you can expect days to get longer while nights get shorter. With this day comes an appreciation of nature’s way of blooming after winter. Shunbun No Hi is one of Japan’s 16 national holidays, and it was first established in 1948 as a way for the country to welcome the new season. Put them all together, and you basically get the day that divides two seasons – the end of winter and the start of spring. “春” is the character for spring, while “分” is an ideogram that means “to divide.” Then you have “の日” for the day or special occasion. Get acquainted with Shunbun No Hi (春分の日)įirst, let’s break down the kanji. With the advent of spring just around the corner and the cherry blossom trees start to bloom, why not welcome the new season through an official public holiday called Vernal Equinox Day or Shunbun No Hi.
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