Today begins a new microseason! If this is your first time joining us, scroll down past the forecast to read about what exactly a microseason is. For the rest of you, let’s jump in!
The Current Solar Term: Daikan
The current solar term, Daikan (大寒), began Jan 21st. We talked about this last time, so go read there if you are interested.
Daikan lasts until Feb 3rd.
The Current Microseason: Hens Begin to Lay Eggs
Today, Jan 30th, begins 鶏始乳, the 72nd microseason (候, kō) which is read Niwatori hajimete toyani tsuku and means Hens Begin to Lay Eggs. This is the third microseason of Daikan, which is itself the sixth solar term of winter.
That’s right, this is the last microseason of the year. The next microseason is the first all over again, the Chinese new year and the old Japanese new year, the first day of spring on the traditional calendar.
Sp traditionally this is it! The last of winter. It will still be cold, mind you, but we will have passed the peak and will be going downhill to better weather.
But we’re not there yet. So what can we expect for this last microseason? Nature can sense the rapidly approaching spring. Already we can see the ume (梅) blossoms (plum blossoms) blooming. These are much beloved both in China and Japan as heralds of the coming spring. They have a wonderful fragrance. In addition, the hens are starting to lay their eggs. In the old days, the chicken didn’t just announce the arrival of morning, but also the arrival of spring, which is another morning of sorts.
Seasonal Activity: Setsubun
Setsubun (節分) is the day right before the first day of spring, so that means it is the final day of the microseason and thus the final day of the year on the traditional calendar. I will write up a post specifically about this event on the day in question, but let’s look at it in brief.
There are a number of traditional events for this day, the most popular one being the bean-throwing ritual, called mamemaki (豆撒き). Usually the dad will don a demon mask and the kids will throw soy beans at him, yelling Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi! (鬼は外! 福は内!), “Demons out; good luck in!”. After they are satisfied that all the demons and bad luck are gone, they will then eat their age in soy beans. Dad will take off the mask and join in on this part. In some areas, it is your age in soybeans plus one more (for the coming year).
Another custom that started in the Osaka area but is spreading more every year is that of eating ehōmaki (恵方巻), “Lucky-direction sushi roll”. You face the lucky direction of the year, which is determined by the zodiac, and you silently eat an entire sushi roll. It’s kind of silly, but everyone loves sushi rolls, so why not try, eh?
Here is a haiku for this microseason:
waga kuni wa kodomo mo oni wo oi ni keri
the children also
chase demons
—Issa
The demon-hunters of Japan all come out for Setsubun!
Will move this info to another post one of these days, but for now, briefly:
- Each month has two seasons, called solar terms (節気, sekki), giving us a total of 24 seasons. This gives the system its name, the 24 Sekki (二十四節気). I usually refer to this entire system as The Japanese Almanac. It is more than a little similar to the American Farmer’s Almanac.
- Each of these 24 seasons is further subdivided three more times, giving us a grand total of 72 seasons, or microseasons (候, kō).
- Each microseason is about 5 days. With time periods so short, they can get pretty specific about what in nature we might expect to be happening around now.
- The system was originally from China, but it was reformatted during the Edo Era (1603–1868) to fit better with Japan’s climate. I find it also fits fairly well with much of the Midwest in the Eastern half of the US. But if you live in a different area, your milage may vary.
- The entire system is based on the equinoxes and solstices, so it is fluid and the exact dates will vary by a day or two from year to year. Luckily there are a great many Japanese sources that do the astrological computations for us and tell us exactly when each one starts and ends every year.
The next microseason starts on Feb 4th. See you then for the next forecast!