1.
higan service; Buddhist memorial service held during the spring and autumn equinoxes
A Buddhist ceremony held during the week centered on the spring equinox (around March 20) and autumn equinox (around September 23). Families visit graves, make offerings, and hold memorial services for the deceased during this period.
彼岸会に参加する。
To attend a higan memorial service.
春の彼岸会で先祖の供養をした。
We held a memorial offering for our ancestors at the spring higan service.
菩提寺の彼岸会に家族全員で出席し、住職の法話を聞いた。
The whole family attended the higan service at our family temple and listened to the head priest's sermon.
Compound of 彼岸 ('the other shore; higan period') and 会 ('gathering; meeting'). The word 彼岸 originally refers to the Buddhist concept of the 'other shore' — enlightenment or the afterlife — and the equinox periods are traditionally believed to be times when the worlds of the living and dead are closest.
CULTURAL CONTEXT:
The higan period lasts seven days: the equinox itself plus three days before and after. During this time, many Japanese families visit cemeteries, clean gravestones, and leave offerings such as flowers and おはぎ} (rice cakes coated in sweet red bean paste). Temples hold formal {彼岸会 services with chanting and sermons.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 春の彼岸会: spring higan service
- 秋の彼岸会: autumn higan service
- 彼岸会の法要: higan religious ceremony
- 彼岸会に参列する: to attend a higan service
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 彼岸: higan period; the equinox season — the broader period, not specifically the service
- 法要: Buddhist memorial service — a general term for any Buddhist ceremony; not limited to higan
- お盆: Bon festival — the midsummer festival for honoring the dead; a separate observance from higan
- 供養: memorial offering — the act of making offerings for the dead; performed during higan and other occasions