Higan (彼岸)

In Japan, there’s a Buddhist celebration called Higan, or Higan-e, which is celebrated during the week of the September and March equinoxes. This is because at the equinox, the sun sets in west – which is where the Japanese Buddhists believe the land of the afterlife is located.

Both equinoxes have been national holidays since the Meiji period. It is a time to remember the dead by visiting, cleaning, and decorating their graves. Higan is also a time of meditation and to visit living relatives.