Also called spring equinox, autumn equinox, Higan, Ohigan, Nowruz, vernal equinox
Customs held at the two equinoxes, when day and night are about equal: the Japanese Buddhist Higan week of grave visits and ohagi sweets, and the Persian new year Nowruz at the spring equinox. Modern Pagans use the days for balance rites.
TraditionJapanese Buddhist Higan; Persian Nowruz; modern Pagan practice
RegionJapan, Iran and Central Asia, worldwide
EraHigan from 806 AD; Nowruz over 3,000 years
Moon◐ Any moon
DayAny
ElementAir
Difficulty●○○ Simple
TimeOne day, or a week for Higan
Tonight's moon is read when the page loads.
The working
Look up the exact equinox time for your location and mark the day.
In the spirit of Higan, visit and clean a family grave or memorial: wash the stone, clear the weeds, set fresh flowers and incense, and tell your dead how the year is going.
Make or buy red bean rice sweets, called botamochi in spring and ohagi in autumn, and share them at home or set one on the family altar.
At home, light a light candle and a dark candle side by side. Name one thing you want more of and one thing you want less of.
Write two short lists, gains and losses since the last equinox, and read them aloud.
Let the candles burn while you sit quietly, then put them out together.
Take care: Keep incense and candles off dry grass at cemeteries and follow any rules a temple or cemetery sets.
Versions across time and place
i
Higan
Japanese Buddhism · First Higan-e ceremony 806 AD; still a public holiday
Higan, the other shore, lasts seven days centred on each equinox. Families visit and clean graves, make offerings and eat ohagi or botamochi. The Nihon Kōki records that in 806 sutras were recited for seven days at both equinoxes to calm the angry spirit of Prince Sawara. The red spider lily that blooms at the autumn equinox is called higanbana.
Uses: Flowers, Incense, Ohagi
Recorded in: Higan (Wikipedia), citing the Nihon Kōki
ii
Nowruz
Persian and Central Asian new year · Over 3,000 years
Nowruz begins at the exact moment of the spring equinox and is kept across Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia, the Caucasus and beyond. Families set the haft-sin table, wear new clothes and visit elders. The UN recognised an International Day of Nowruz in 2010.
Recorded in: Nowruz (Wikipedia)
iii
Modern Pagan equinox
Wicca and modern Paganism · 1970s to present
The equinoxes became the sabbats Ostara and Mabon in the Wiccan calendar, names given by Aidan Kelly in 1974. Rites often stress balance, such as equal light and dark candles, gratitude lists, or seed and harvest blessings.
Recorded in: Wheel of the Year (Wikipedia)
History
The equinoxes were tracked by many ancient peoples, but few equinox customs are as old and continuous as Nowruz. The Persian new year begins at the moment the sun crosses the equator northward and has been kept for more than 3,000 years across West and Central Asia. It is on UNESCO's intangible heritage list, and the UN General Assembly recognised it in 2010.
In Japan, Higan grew from Buddhist teaching about crossing from this world to the far shore of enlightenment. The first recorded Higan-e service was held in 806 under the Heian court, and the week became a time for grave visits and offerings. Modern Pagan equinox rites date only from the 1970s. A popular claim that eggs stand on end only at the equinox is a myth; with patience they balance on any day.
