March 21st is “Shunbun no hi (Vernal Equinox Day).” It is designated as a national holiday in Japan. Since spring break starts around this time, I wasn’t as excited about this holiday as other holidays when I was at school. “Shunbun” is written with a combination of the kanji characters for “spring” and “to divide“. The seven-day period, including the three days immediately before and after “Shunbun no hi,” is called the spring equinoctial week (higan). There is an old saying; “Atsusa samusa mo higan made,” which means that higan is a boundary marking the end of summer heat or winter coldness. Although I don’t mind winter, it is nice to see the days getting longer and the weather getting nicer.
Japanese translation
Shunbun no hi – Vernal Equinox Day originally appeared on About.com Japanese Language on Wednesday, March 17th, 2010 at 11:13:17.