Higan no Cho-Nichi

One of the most traditional Japanese National Holidays, this holiday seems to have a double origin. One is the celebration of seasonal change typical of an agricultural society: this is the day when the day-time and the night-time are of equal length. The actual date of the Fall Equinox Day may change from year to year due to leap year, but is generally around September 23rd. From this day on, the night-time hours will be longer than the day-time hours, until the winter solstice in late December, the shortest day of the year. This autumnal Equinox Day is called HIGAN NO CHO-NICHI, which is based on Buddhist teaching. Many Japanese visit their family tombs on this day in the middle of the week of HIGAN to pay their respects to their ancestors. People weed their family tombs and leave flowers, incense and ohagi (sweet rice balls covered with soybean paste.) It is tradition that ancestors' spirits prefer round food!

Bamboo, Freesia, Cherry Blossom, Rice Flower, Red Bean Paste, and Incense notes.