The meaning and customs of the Ohigan

The days before the autumnal equinox were absurdly hot, but once the equinox had passed, the temperature dropped to the point of being cold.

However, even though it is called Ohigan, you may not know much about it unless you have the custom of visiting graves with your family.

In fact, since I was a child, I had not had the custom of visiting graves on the far side of the equinox, so I had only a vague idea of what people, in general, called the far side of the equinox, and I thought it was a time to visit graves.

The time of the Ohigan

Generally speaking, the period of the Ohigan is the seven-day period centred on the spring and autumnal equinoxes, plus three days before and after each.

The following is a more detailed explanation of why they are held in spring and autumn and how the dates are determined.

the meaning of the vernal and autumnal equinoxes

The vernal equinox and autumnal equinox are days when the length of day and night are approximately equal.

As the sun rises in the true east and sets in the true west, this period is considered in Buddhist thought to be the best time for ancestral memorial services, as it is the time when the ‘other shore’ (the world beyond) and ‘this shore’ (this world) are closest to each other.

The spring Ohigan is a seven-day period centred on the Vernal Equinox Day in March (usually 20 or 21 March).

The autumnal equinox is a seven-day period centred on the autumnal equinox in September (usually 22 or 23 September).

Purpose of the Ohigan

The purpose of the Ohigan is to make offerings to ancestors.

The seven-day period around the spring and autumnal equinoxes is known as the ‘Ohigan’ period.

These days are considered to be the closest to the Western Pure Land, where the Buddha and ancestors reside, and are considered to be the days when you can make offerings to your ancestors at a closer distance than usual.

However, the word ‘Ohigan’ has a strong connotation of the other side of the world.

The word ‘Ohigan’ seems to mean ‘his shore’, or the other world, but the actual origin of the word is said to be the Sanskrit word ‘paramita’, which means the world of enlightenment.

Well, I don’t know if all the deceased who have gone to the other world are enlightened or not, but I think the Western Pure Land is at least a place to practise for the state of enlightenment (this is my personal opinion).

Is it true that the heat and cold last until the equinoxes?

There is a website that looks at the change in temperature after the equinoxes are over.

This site, by WeatherNews, examines whether temperatures have increased since the spring equinoxes over the past 10 years.

So you can say that there has been a change in temperature over the past decade.

We don’t have any verified results for the autumnal equinox at the moment, but you may be able to make your own soon.

Customs on the Ohigan

On the Ohigan, it is common for families to visit the graves of their loved ones.

In addition, offerings such as botamochi (spring) and Ohagi (autumn) are made at the Buddhist altar to remember the deceased.

These foods are made from glutinous rice and sweet red bean paste and have long been symbolic of ancestral offerings.

I honestly had no idea that Botamochi and Ohagi were the same thing.

I only thought that the contents and the way of making them were different, but I had no idea that they were derived from the flower peony, which blooms in spring, and the flower bush clover, which blooms in autumn.

If there are names for spring and autumn, naturally there are also names for summer, and I heard that in summer it is called ‘Yofune’ (night boat) and in winter ‘Kitamado’ (north window).

To be frank, I had no idea until I looked it up.

Conclusion

The Ohigan is seven days centred on the spring and autumnal equinoxes and is generally regarded as a period for ancestral memorial services.

Because the spring and autumnal equinoxes are interspersed, the length of day and night are equal, and in Buddhist terms, the ‘Higan’ (the other world) and ‘Shigan’ (this world) are considered to be closest to each other, making it a suitable day for making offerings.

Although I did not know much about Ohigan, as I have not had the custom of visiting graves since I was a child, I did learn that the customs ‘botamochi’ and ‘Ohagi’ are simply different ways of calling it.

Also, the phrase ‘hot and cold weather lasts until the other shore’ seems to be an actual statistic that the temperature change is being felt.