Vernal Equinox Day
Guide to the date, history, cultural origins and celebration traditions of Vernal Equinox Day in Japan.
History & Origins of Vernal Equinox Day
Vernal Equinox Day (Shunbun no Hi) in Japan is a national holiday observed on the day of the spring equinox. Deeply rooted in Buddhist and Shinto traditions of 'Higan' (the week of equinox), the day marks the astronomical shift when day and night are equal, representing a sacred time when the boundary between the physical world and the ancestral realm is thin.
How It Is Observed & Celebrated
Families visit ancestral graves to clean the tombstones, offer fresh flowers and incense, and eat sweet round rice cakes coated in sweet red bean paste (Botamochi) to welcome the spring season.
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