During the vernal equinox, Mahayana Buddhists, particularly in Japan, observe Ohigan (or Higan-e, or Higan), a week-long festival focused on honoring ancestors, personal reflection, and spiritual growth, with customs including visiting graves, offering food, and praying for the spirits of the deceased. This Buddhist holiday, observed around the vernal (spring) and autumnal (fall) equinoxes, is a time for honoring ancestors and reflecting on the Buddhist teachings. Japanese Buddhists believe that during the equinoxes, the worlds of the living and the dead are closest, making it a special time to remember and honor those who have passed away.
During this time, practitioners will:
Visit graves: People visit family graves to clean them, offer flowers, incense, and food, such as botamochi (sweet rice cakes).
Pray and recite sutras: People pray for the souls of the deceased and may recite sutras.
Reflect on virtues: Ohigan is also a time to think about and cultivate virtues like generosity, morality, patience, diligence, meditation, and wisdom.
The equinox has wide religious significance because it is the exact day when day and night are of equal length, and is the halfway point between winter and summer. It is seen as a time of balance and harmony, and the setting sun directly in the west is associated with the Pure Land, the world of enlightenment. Nichiren Shoshu Buddhist Temples perform the Higan-e Ceremony on these days as a Buddhist practice for accumulating benefits and amassing virtue in the lives of the believer and the deceased. Given that this is largely a Japanese tradition, Shinto traditions, such as visiting ancestral graves, also influence the practices during the vernal equinox.
As depicted in the photo, the red spider lily signals shūbun the arrival of the autumn equinox. Many Buddhists will use it to celebrate the arrival of fall with a ceremony at the tomb of one of their ancestors.
Enjoy this video from Thich Nhat Hanh as he conveys a calming equinox mantra.
