Wednesday, September 23, 2009

秋分の日(shubun no hi): Autumn Equinox Day

Today is a national holiday called shubun no hi (秋分の日), the Autumn Equinox Day. It is a day to respect ancestors and recall the departed. It is the time to change the season. The lengths of day and night are equal today, and the day-time will be 1 minute and 15 seconds shorter every day.
There is a phrase to express at this season. That is atsusa samusa mo higan made (暑さ寒さも彼岸まで), meaning both the heat and the cold will last until the Equinox Day. The cold will last until the Spring Equinox Day, and the heat will last until the Autumn Equinox Day.
Today is the last day of the Silver Week and the middle of the equinoctial week.

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