For the Wiccans reading this, have you ever thought that it would be good if the major Wiccan festival days were national holidays? Well here in Japan both equinoxes and the winter solstice are. The name in Japanese for the spring equinox is 春分の日 Shunbun no Hi . It has been a national holiday since 1948. Not all Japanese people care about the meanings of the national holidays here, but each one does have a meaning and a purpose. Shunbun no Hi has two meanings: the first is to "...praise nature and appreciate living things" and the second is to "... put in a great effort for the future". The three days before and after the equinox are called 彼岸のなかば Higan no nakaba, it is a time to clean the family Buddhist altar and visit and clean family graves. So the vernal equinox is a great day to: remember those who came before you; try to understand your place within nature, and look to the future with strength and hope.
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