1.
spring equinox period; spring higan; spring week of Buddhist memorial services
A seven-day period centered on the spring equinox (around March 20-21), during which Japanese families visit ancestral graves and make offerings. One of two annual higan periods, the other being 秋彼岸.
Compound of 春 ('spring') and 彼岸 ('the other shore' in Buddhism; equinox period). 彼岸 literally means 'the far shore' (彼の岸), referring to the Buddhist concept of the shore of enlightenment, and the equinox — when day and night are equal — symbolizes the balance between this world and the next.
Cultural note
- The seven-day period spans three days before, the equinox day itself, and three days after
- The main activities are visiting family graves (墓参り), cleaning gravestones, and offering flowers and food
- The traditional offering is 牡丹餅 (botamochi), named after the spring peony flower (牡丹)
- The autumn equivalent offering is 御萩 (ohagi), named after the bush clover (萩)
Common collocations
- 春彼岸のお墓参り: spring equinox grave visit
- 春彼岸の入り: start of the spring higan period
- 春彼岸の中日: the middle day (equinox itself)
- 春彼岸の明け: end of the spring higan period