Shunbun no Hi (Spring Equinox)
Japan's spring equinox holiday, celebrating balance and visiting ancestral graves.
Shunbun no Hi is Japan's Vernal Equinox Day, held on the March equinox in Japan Standard Time, which is March 20 or 21. The date is officially announced in February of the previous year.
When Is Shunbun no Hi (Spring Equinox)?
Shunbun no Hi is Japan's Vernal Equinox Day, held on the March equinox in Japan Standard Time, which is March 20 or 21. The date is officially announced in February of the previous year.
Because the Gregorian date changes from year to year, check a calendar published by the tradition or your local community for this year's date.
Why It Matters
Shunbun no Hi is a national holiday marking the spring equinox. A time to celebrate the return of spring, honor nature, and visit family graves during the Buddhist Higan week of gratitude for the dead.
How It Is Observed
Visiting family graves, cleaning and offering flowers, eating ohagi (sweet rice balls), nature walks, prayers at shrines.