, or and Kōreisai, are days of worship in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

that began in 1878 () to pay respects to the past emperors and imperial family members. It occurred on the

March equinox The March equinox or northward equinox is the equinox on the Earth when the subsolar point appears to leave the Southern Hemisphere and cross the celestial equator, heading northward as seen from Earth. The March equinox is known as the ver ...

(spring equinox) and the

September equinox The September equinox (or southward equinox) is the moment when the Sun appears to cross the celestial equator, heading southward. Because of differences between the calendar year and the tropical year, the September equinox may occur from ...

(autumn equinox) of the anniversary of the person's death. After the 1948 passing of the Act on National Holidays, these days were marked in a non-religious manner as the

national holidays National holiday may refer to: *General strike, a mass work stoppage as part of an industrial dispute *National day, a day when a nation celebrates a very important event in its history, such as its establishment *Public holiday, a holiday establish ...

Vernal Equinox Day is a public holiday in Japan that occurs on the date of the Northward equinox in Japan Standard Time (the vernal equinox can occur on different dates in different time-zones), usually March 20 or 21. The date of the holiday is not officially ...

and

Autumnal Equinox Day is a public holiday in Japan that usually occurs on September 22 or 23, the date of Southward equinox in Japan Standard Time (autumnal equinox can occur on different dates for different time zones). Due to the necessity of recent astronomica ...

. During the event, one prayed for good harvest in the spring and said thank you for the harvest in autumn. The equinoxes were also the days of

ancestor veneration in China Chinese ancestor veneration, also called Chinese ancestor worship, is an aspect of the Chinese traditional religion which revolves around the ritual celebration of the deified ancestors and tutelary deities of people with the same surname or ...

References

1878 establishments in Japan Recurring events established in 1878 March observances September observances Public holidays in Japan Japanese Imperial Rituals Spring equinox Autumn equinox {{Shinto-stub

See also

References