お彼岸(ひがん)

おひがん
noun
equinoctial week; higan
time-season
See also: 彼岸(ひがん) (without お prefix)
1. equinoctial week; higan
A seven-day Buddhist memorial period centered on the spring and autumn equinoxes, when Japanese people traditionally visit family graves and make offerings to ancestors.
お彼岸(ひがん)に墓参(はかまい)りをする。
We visit the grave during higan.
春(はる)のお彼岸(ひがん)には牡丹餅(ぼたもち)を作(つく)る。
We make botamochi (rice cakes) for spring higan.
お彼岸(ひがん)の時期(じき)になると、スーパーに供(そな)え物(もの)が並(なら)ぶ。
When higan season comes, offerings are displayed at supermarkets.

お彼岸(ひがん) is a Japanese Buddhist observance period.

Seasons

  • 春(はる)のお彼岸(ひがん): Spring higan (around March 20-21)
  • 秋(あき)のお彼岸(ひがん): Autumn higan (around September 22-23)

Traditional foods

  • 牡丹餅(ぼたもち): Spring rice cakes (named after peony flowers)
  • 御萩(おはぎ): Autumn rice cakes (named after bush clover)

Cultural note

The equinox is considered a time when the boundary between this world and the afterlife is thinnest. Families visit graves (墓参(はかまい)り), clean tombstones, and make offerings of flowers and food. The expression 「暑(あつ)さ寒(さむ)さも彼岸(ひがん)まで」 means extreme heat and cold end around the equinoxes.

Related Words

Compare: お盆(ぼん) (Obon festival)
general
Added 2026.1.29 15:10 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
08500/08933_ohigan