Spring Equinox Day

March 21 is spring equinox called O-Higan in Japan. The “O-Higan” is a Buddhist event that occurs twice a year, in spring and autumn. Many Japanese visit their family graves and clean the grave.  O-Higan literally translates as “the other shore.”  On equinox day, it is said that the distance between ‘this world’ and ‘that world’  becomes closest. So they visit graves and pray for ancestors. The red colour of azuki beans has long been believed to ward off evil spirits, and has been offered to ancestors as a food to get rid of evil spirits.