臺北市新住民專區網站英文版

Vernal equinox is also a public holiday? In Japan, the period of three days before and after both the vernal equinox and autumnal equinox is called the Ohigan (distant shore) week. During the equinox, where days and nights are of equal length, it is said that visiting graves will allow people to meet the spirits of deceased relatives. The Vernal Equinox Day was originally Japan’s Spring Season Imperial Spirit Festival, which used to be an important day to pay respects to the spirits of deceased emperors, queens and members of the royal family. Now it is similar to our Tomb Sweeping Day, where many people would pay a visit to graves in the hometown.
Apart from flowers and fruits, the must-have offering is botamochi, a type of Japanese sweets made with glutinous rice and red bean paste. Its texture is between sweet rice cake and mochi. Botamochi is similar to the ohagi cake eaten on Autumnal Equinox Day. The difference between the two is that botamochi is slightly larger and is named after the peony blossoms in spring, while ohagi is named after the bush clover blossoms in autumn. It can be seen that the spirit of valuing each season is deep rooted in Japan.