Autumnal Equinox Day
There are some public holidays and national holidays that only Japanese celebrate, one of them is in September, which is called ” Shu-bun no Hi “.
If we translate Shu-bun no Hi in English, it would be Autumnal Equinox Day. Autumnal Equinox Day is not decided the exact date, it occurs around September 23rd. It is the middle day of the equinoctial week called “Higan”.
Higan is a Buddhist word and it means the other side of the river, which flows between this world and the other world. Buddhists believe that the spirits of ancestors come to see their families and descendants during Higan. There are a lot of Japanese who are non-religious, but many of them believe too. So we return to our hometowns during Higan and go to the graves of their ancestors.
It is very hard for people to go back to their hometowns because of pandemic.. so sadly, many of them need to give up seeing their ancestors. Everyone believe and hope the normal life we spent like before is back soon.