秋彼岸(あきひがん)

Compound of 秋(あき) ('autumn') and 彼岸(ひがん) ('equinox period'). The autumn counterpart of 春彼岸(はるひがん), with the same structure of grave visits and offerings but associated with different seasonal imagery.

Cultural note

• Like spring higan, spans seven days: three before, the equinox day, and three after
• The traditional offering is 御萩(おはぎ) (ohagi), a rice ball coated in red bean paste, named after the autumn bush clover (萩(はぎ))
• 彼岸花(ひがんばな) (red spider lily) blooms around this time and is closely associated with the period
• The proverb 暑(あつ)さ寒(さむ)さも彼岸(ひがん)まで ('heat and cold last until higan') marks this as a seasonal turning point

Common collocations

• 秋彼岸(あきひがん)のお墓参(はかまい)り: autumn equinox grave visit
• 秋彼岸(あきひがん)の入(い)り: start of the autumn higan period
• 秋彼岸(あきひがん)の中日(ちゅうにち): the middle day (equinox itself)
• 秋彼岸(あきひがん)の明(あ)け: end of the autumn higan period

Similar words

• 春彼岸(はるひがん): spring equinox period — the same observance around the spring equinox in March
• 彼岸(ひがん): equinox period (general) — can refer to either spring or autumn higan
• お盆(ぼん): Obon; Bon festival — another major ancestor memorial period in mid-August