Harvest Thanksgiving (Europe)

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Harvest Thanksgiving, Harvest Festival
(German : Erntedankfest)

***** Location: Worldwide (but not North America)
in Christian countries and parishes

***** Season: Mid-autumn
.............. (Kenya : late cool dry season)

***** Category: Observances

*****************************
Explanation


http://www.landeskirche-sachsen.de/4209.html

A festive Church Service giving thanks to God for a harvest completed. Worshippers bring gifts of crops and food, which are later distributed to the needy.

At this time of declining church attendance, this has become the most popular festival in the annual church calendar, apart from Christmas. The joy of the celebration, the bringing of gifts, the involvement of children, the tangible and even exotic nature of much farm produce, the well-known and favourite hymns, and the special sermons, often by visiting preachers, all go to make this a much-loved occasion which most families would not wish to miss. Even people who have largely lost touch with the church find much to celebrate on this day.

Isabelle Prondzynski

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Prayers for Harvest Thanksgiving
From the Church of Ireland (Anglican)

Eternal God,
you crown the year with your goodness
and give us the fruits of the earth in their season:
Grant that we may use them to your glory,
for the relief of those in need
and for our own well-being;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

Lord of the harvest,
with joy we have offered thanksgiving
for your love in creation
and have shared in the bread and wine of the kingdom.
By your grace plant within us such reverence
for all that you give us
that will make us wise stewards of the good things we enjoy;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

http://tinyurl.com/7uowh

... ... ...

From the Anglican Church of Kenya

O Lord God our creator and keeper,
giver of sunshine and rain;
all what we are and all what we have is yours,
in gratitude we offer to you, and for your work,
the produce of our farms, businesses and employment.
Accept and bless it for the furtherance of your work here and beyond.
Multiply it to meet all our various needs.
All for the glory and honour of your holy name.
Amen.

Anglican Church of Kenya, Our Modern Services (2002)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx



Golden Fields
© Photo courtesy of Ken Houston

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Every year we have a Harvest Festival in our schools and churches but do you know why?

Thanksgiving ceremonies and celebrations for a successful harvest are both worldwide and very ancient.

In England, we have given thanks for successful harvests since pagan times. We celebrate this day by singing, praying and decorating our churches with baskets of fruit and food in a festival known as 'Harvest Festival', usually during the month of September.

Harvest Festival reminds Christians of all the good things God gives them. This makes them want to share with others who are not so fortunate. In schools and in Churches, people bring food from home to a Harvest Festival Service. After the service, the food that has been put on display is usually made into parcels and given to people in need.

When is Harvest Festival?

Harvest festivals are traditionally held on or near the Sunday of the Harvest Moon. This moon is the full moon which falls in the month of September, at or around the time of the Autumnal Equinox, about Sept. 23.

History of Harvest Festival - Traditions and Customs

Harvest Festival used to be celebrated at the beginning of the Harvest season on 1 August and was called Lammas, meaning 'loaf Mass'. Farmers made loaves of bread from the new wheat crop and gave them to their local church. They were then used as the Communion bread during a special mass thanking God for the harvest. The custom ended when Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church, and nowadays we have harvest festivals at the end of the season.

Farmers celebrated the end of the harvest with a big meal called a harvest supper, eaten on Michaelmas Day. This was rather like a Christmas dinner, but as turkeys were unknown at that time, a goose stuffed with apples was eaten. Goose Fairs are still held in some English towns, but geese are no longer sold.

The tradition of celebrating Harvest Festival in churches as we know it today began in 1843, when the Reverend Robert Hawker invited parishioners to a special thanksgiving service for the harvest at his church at Morwenstow in Cornwall*. Victorian hymns such as "We plough the fields and scatter", "Come ye thankful people, come" and "All things bright and beautiful" helped popularise his idea of harvest festival and spread the annual custom of decorating churches with home-grown produce for the Harvest Festival service.
*Information taken from Oxford Dictionary of English Folklore



© Woodlands Junior School
Woodlands Junior School, Hunt Road Tonbridge Kent.TN10 4BB UK
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Harvest.html

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Links to popular Harvest Thanksgiving hymns

We plough the fields and scatter
(Wir pflügen und wir streuen), by Matthias Claudius
http://www.cgmusic.com/cghymnal/others/w/weploughthefields.htm

Now thank we all our God
(Nun danket alle Gott), by Martin Rinkart
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/n/o/nowthank.htm

Come ye thankful people come, by Henry Alford
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/c/o/comeytpc.htm

All things bright and beautiful
http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/a/a177.html

*****************************
Worldwide use

Australia

In the Southern Hemisphere the tradition of giving thanks for the harvest, where it survives, or in some places where it is a recovered tradition, occurs naturally in Autumn (Fall) and being commonly in the months of March or April tends often to coincide with one of the Sundays of Lent. That is a coincidence that does not fit easily with the Christian calender developed in the Northern Hemisphere.

Nevertheless I am including resources for such a celebration at this point in accordance with local tradition, for it is important that we should "always and everywhere give thanks."
http://www.beswick.info/rclresources/HThg95L3COS.htm

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Germany

Erntedankfest, Erntefest

In Germany, the harvest thanksgiving festival (Erntedankfest) is always celebrated on the first Sunday in October by Roman Catholic congregations, and on the Sunday nearest Michaelmas (29 September) by Protestant congregations.



The Services are often followed by processions bearing the Harvest Crown, and in many places, a Harvest Queen is the Guest of Honour. Village fairs may be held. The annual return of the cows from their Alpine summer pasture may also be celebrated on the same day. In wine-growing regions, Harvest Festivals have in recent years given way to vintners' festivals.

Information taken from
http://www.feiertagsseiten.de/erntedankfest/home.html

... ... ...

Harvest Crown, Harvest Wreath : Erntekrone, Erntekranz


http://www.bauernverband.de/archiv_1766.html
http://www.landeskirche-sachsen.de/4209.html
http://www.lauenhagen.de/Touristik/Bilder/EFst05Gal14/EF05Pics122/ef05pics122.html

Harvest Queen : Erntekoenigin
http://erntefest-steinbeck.de/erntekoenigin.htm

.. .. ..

More information and further links here :
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erntedankfest

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Japan

The autumn festivals in all villages belong to this kind.
Autumn Festival (aki matsuri)



© 2001,勝浦川流域ネットワーク
http://www.soratoumi.com/river/ryuiki/syukaku.htm

At the rural schools, we celebrate the Harvest Festival, shuukakusai　収穫祭. New rice of the season is pounded for rice cakes. Self-grown vegetables make a delicious soup and many art objects made of fruit, nuts and other natural materials are on display.

Pounding rice (mochi tsuki) is itself a kigo for winter.



Official Harvest Festival, niiname no matsuri 新嘗祭
Great Harvest Ceremony, oonie matsuri 大嘗祭
Labour Thanksgiving Day 勤労感謝の日
kinroo kansha no hi, Japan, November 23

Gabi Greve

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Kenya

See Nairobi International Trade Fair , which starts each year with Harvest Thanksgiving Service in All Saints' Cathedral Nairobi.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jews celebrate Sukkot (Festival of Booths)
at the same time of year and for the same reason.

Four days after Yom Kippur, Jews world-wide celebrate the holiday of Sukkot. The holiday is celebrated from the 15th of Tishri through the 21st or 22nd of Tishri, depending if you live in Israel or in the Diaspora. Sukkot usually falls out in late September or early October.

After the harvest from your threshing floor and your vineyards, you shall celebrate the Feast of Booths for seven days. (Deuteronomy 16:13)

Historically, Sukkot commemorates the wanderings of the Israelites, which began with the exodus from Egypt (Passover) and continues with the giving of the Torah at Sinai (Shavuot) and ends with the wandering in the desert for the full 40 years as punishment for the sin of the golden calf.

To celebrate their hard work, the farmers and their families would go to the temple in Jerusalem to offer thanks. They built sukkot, or booths, to remember how the children of Israel built booths in the desert. The pilgrims lived in them for seven days while they, and the families they brought to Jerusalem, celebrated.

In modern times, the custom of building sukkot was reestablished in the early 1900s. Since then, Jews everywhere celebrate the seven or eight days of Sukkot, (depending where you live) including Shemini Atzeret and Simhat Torah from the Diaspora and from Israel.

© 1998-1999 Everything Jewish, Inc.
http://www.everythingjewish.com/Sukkot/Sukkot_origins.htm

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hindu faithful, particularly in Tamil Nadu, celebrate Pongal, another week-long harvest festival.

http://www.bawarchi.com/festivals/pongal.html

http://members.tripod.com/~jap5/hindufestivals/pongal.html

*****************************
Things found on the way


*****************************
HAIKU

In the Nairobi slum where I have been working, the week after Harvest Thanksgiving Sunday is that one of the year when the nursery school meal goes beyond the plain and cheap, as the harvest gifts brought to the church are distributed. What delight they bring to the children!

fruit for lunch today --
harvest thanksgiving
yesterday

Isabelle Prondzynski

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

the harvest season -
the family dressed for sunday
smiles for the photo

Robert Leechford
http://home.alc.co.jp/db/owa/PH_detail?photo_sn_in=38

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

featherless bird (tofu turky)
harvest from the garden
alas no drummsticks

Shanna Moore

*****************************
Related words

***** Thanksgiving (U.S.A.)

***** Grape Festival (Winzerfest, Wine Festival) (Europe)

***** Nairobi International Trade Fair (Kenya)


. Harvest and related kigo


[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Hawaii Saijiki

[ . BACK to TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


HAWAII SAIJIKI

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The Haiku Seasons of Hawaii

The seasons of Hawai'i are very much recognized and appreciated by Japanese-writing haiku poets in the islands.

I believe that the following book still provides some useful guidance:

ハワイ歳時記 (Romaji: Hawai Saijiki; English title: Hawaii Poem Calendar),
by 元山 三代松 (Motoyama Gyokushu), published by 博文堂 (Hakubundô),
Honolulu, and ゆく春発行所 (Yukuharu Hakkojo), Tokyo, 1970.

The book contains some 235 seasonal topics, as well as some "miscellaneous" or "seasonless" topics, many recognized by Japanese saijiki and many more specific to Hawai'i, many with English translations, and with plenty of haiku illustrating their use.

For Hawai'i, the author offers the following seasonal breakdown:

Spring: February-March-April (same as trad. Japanese spring)

Summer: May-June-July-August (extending one month beyond trad. J. summer)

Autumn: September-October-November (shifted one month later than trad. J. autumn)

Winter: December (only)

New Year: January (all month)

To me, this makes good sense, since the Islands in fact are only marginally tropical, lying across the tropic of Cancer, though the largest islands are a bit south of it.

In any case, there is nowhere on the planet that does not feel some seasonal effects (including most city-scapes and indoor spaces), so please don't be so hasty in dismissing the seasons.

Instead, look for the different quality and time periods of light at different times of the year, a different feel in the air, as well as those plants and animals whose phases and activities do indeed change from month to month. Even deep in the tropics of equatorial regions, some plants bloom
only at particular times of the year, and so on. (I have numerous books that document this fact.) This is not to mention the various holidays and annual events by which we mark the passage of our yearly round.

You will find many of these, and in particular the varying seasonal events of the sea, well documented in the Hawaii Poetry Calendar.

Bill Higginson

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The Many Seasons In Hawaii
By Don Chapman

In fact, traditional Hawaiian culture counted 13 different seasons in the 12 months of the lunar year - based on air temperature, wind direction, which fish were biting and what plants were blooming or producing fruit.
“When the wiliwili blossoms,” says an old proverb, “the shark bites.”

We know in Hawaii that our seasons are driven by the surrounding ocean’s “thermal lag,” the couple of months between the shortest and longest days of the year and the coldest and warmest days of the year.

Read the full story here:
http://www.midweek.com/content/columns/editorsdesk_article/the_many_seasons_in_hawaii/

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


http://www.statefishart.com/states/west/hi.htm

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo


HAWAII FACTS & LINKS

Hawaii is made up of eight major islands that include: Hawaii, Oahu, Maui, Kawai, Kahoolawe, Molokai, Lanai and Niihau.

Hawaiian weather is quite consistent year-round. This is because of the warm sea surface temperatures that remain fairly consistent all year. Rather than four seasons in Hawaii, there are really only two - Summer and Winter.
Summer generally goes from May to October and is called Kau in Hawaiian.
Winter is known as Ho'oilo and generally runs from November to April.

................... The official Flowers of all 8 islands:
Hawaii - Red Lehua Ohia
Maui - Lokelani (Pink Cottage Rose)
Molokai - White Kukui Blossom
Kahoolawe - Hinahina (Beach Heliotrope)
Lanai - Kaunaoa (Yellow and Orange Air Plant)
Oahu - Ilima
Kauai - Mokihona (Green Berry)
Niihau - Pupu Shell

The State Bird:
The Nene, which is pronounced "nay-nay," is often referred to as the Hawaiian goose. Living in the rough lava has helped the Nene to change from web feet to a claw-like shape. Its wing structure has modified itself to accommodate shorter flights. Until the Nene was protected in 1949, it was nearly extinct through hunting and wild animals.

The unofficial state fish the Hawaiian Triggerfish. The actual name is very long! It is Humuhumunukunukuapua`a, which is pronounced humuhumunukunukuapua.

More facts are here:
http://www.usacitiesonline.com/hilinks.htm

http://gohawaii.com/weather/default.aspx

Hawaii, Triggerfish in the World Kigo Library

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The University of Hawaii


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::




wildfire
spread of weeds
in Pele's garden


Shanna Moore: Photo Album - Haiga from Hawaii

Shanna Baldwin Moore: Poettree - BLOG from Hawaii

Shanna Baldwin Moore: Photoshow HAWAII


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

...................... Hawaii Saijiki
under construction

Spring


Summer


Autumn

Bon Festival, O-Bon

Sulphur Butterfly


Winter

Surfing, Surfer, Surf

Windstorm


New Year


........................ Non-seasonal topics

Banyan Tree

Hawaiian Spirit

Hula Dance and the Goddess Laka 　

Lunchbox (bentoo)

Mango -

Vog (Volcanic Smog) (Hawaii, Big Island)


*****************************
Things found on the way




. Aloha Daruma 　


*****************************
Haiku

In Honolulu
nobody watches
"Hawaii Five-O".

John Tranter
Published in Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
http://www.thylazine.org/peace/johntranter.html

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


ワイキキの海に浮かびて椰子並木
Waikiki no umi ni ukabite yashi namiki

Waikiki -
the palm tree on the roadside
reflected in the sea

hpmix
Japanese Haiku from Hawaii

(Tr. Gabi Greve)


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Halloween

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO　　TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　


MidLink Magazine
http://longwood.cs.ucf.edu/~MidLink/haikus.html

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Halloween, Hallowe’en

***** Location: North America
***** Season: Autumn
***** Category: Observance

*****************************
Explanation

Hallowe'en is a folk festival which upon Christianisation became loosely attached to All Saints' Day. In Germany, the same day (31 October) is the Feast of the Reformation, being the anniversary of the posting of the 95 theses of Luther .

In Ireland, there are great customs of Hallowe’en, family festivals pre-dating Christian times, which have been "modernised" and secularised and commercialised in the USA in particular, modifying customs brought by Irish emigrants. If Hallowe'en is "celebrated" in Ireland nowadays, it is the American version rather than the Irish version which is used.

Isabelle Prondzynski

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Other kigo related to Haloween are:

jack o lantern, trick or treating, black witch, black cat, ghost, haunted house and a few more.


*****************************
Worldwide use



Halloween -- The History and Customs of Halloween

Halloween Online - Your Guide to Halloween

Halloween Central - All About Halloween!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


JAPAN




harouiin ハロウィーン / ハロウィン Halloween


In Summer in Japan
it is custom to tell stories about ｇhosts, kaidan 怪談,　and gruesome events, so people will get a chill from it to keep cool.
And haunted houses, house of horrors, obake yashiki　お化け屋敷 are a treat for kids during the summer holidays.


. Monster festival (bakemono matsuri 化物祭 )
kigo for early summer

This refers to a local festival at the Tsuruoka Tenmangu in Yamagata. People are free to dress up and wear masks, so nobody knows who the other might be. One traditional style is seen in the photo below.



Gabi Greve





. . . CLICK here for Photos - manekineko !

... ... ...


水墨の四谷怪談野分立つ
suiboku no Yostuya kaidan nowake tatsu

an ink painting
of the Yotsuya Ghost Story -
Typhoon is here

千﨑　英生
http://www.haikukoushien.com/history/6th/6th_2.htm

Yotsuya Kaidan, the tragic ghost story of O-Iwa and Iemon, is maybe the most famous of these summer ghost stories.

A long, long time ago, a woman named Oiwa was married to a man named Iemon and they lived in Yotsuya. One day, a rich lady fell in love with Iemon and captured his heart with her money. Iemon ordered his servant "Put a little of this medicine into Oiwa's every meal".

Day by day, Oiwa grew weak, lost her hair and the right side of her face became deformed. After this she was treated cruelly by the people around her and she died holding a grudge against them. After her death many strange things happened and all of the people who had mistreated her died.

http://www.shejapan.com/jtyeholder/jtye/living/ghost/ghost1.html

The ghost play "Tôkaidô Yotsuya Kaidan" was staged for the first time in July 1825 at the Kabuki Nakamuraza. It is performed to our day to give us a chill during the hot season.

For more about Japanese Ghosts, check my articles on

Oni, Japanese Demons .


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


Philippines

We have quite a list of mythic monsters in the Philippines, some less fun more insidious goblins, some kind of a vampire often sighted but never proven in Manila even, a centaur-like amorous monster said to impregnate virgins as easily as through clothing left out at night, old witches as ordinary as a neighbor said to have the power—an always evil spell, among many others. These kept us indoors as children though I remember most the horse-riding marauder who abducted children, and whose blood would be used to pave mountain trails. I chose ‘kapre’ the giant known to live in a tree under our tower whose blossoms had the most repugnant smell ever. When it blooms, the old folks say, that’s when the kapre rises; the tree has long been felled.


a throaty rustle
with his repugnant scent
the kapre takes me

- Shared by Alee Imperial Albano-
Joys of Japan, 2012



Kapre (related to the Agta in the Visayan languages)
is a Philippine mythical creature that could be characterized as a tree demon, but with more human characteristics.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !



. WKD : Philippines Saijiki .


*****************************
Things found on the way

Daruma San and Halloween
















- Photo Reference -


*****************************
HAIKU

haunted house
the photograph
of a blue blob

Deborah P Kolodji
http://www.livejournal.com/users/dkolodji/9134.html

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx




lonely graves
spooking away the ghosts -
Summer in Japan

Gabi Greve

Ghost Stories お化けの話　

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Some links to Halloween Haiku Pages


Contest at the Star Gazette
http://www.stargazette.com/graphics/ads/haiku.html

Canadian Zen Haiku Halloween 2004

Halloween haiku

Halloween Haikus

shiki.archive.9810: SHIKI Halloween Haiku -

There are a lot more, google yourself!


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


halloween-
clouded skies
light rain

Kenneth Daniels (GY)


.................................................................................


halloween -
grandma is searching
for her nightdress

~~~

halloween -
under one umbrella
two boggles

Heike Gewi, Yemen


.................................................................................



allhallowmas...
the goblins go back
into their books

Alan Summers, England
The Haiku Calendar 2010, Snapshot Press

Haiku Friends 2
ed. Masaharu Hirata, Osaka Japan 2007



halloween curry takeout
a ghost spine T-shirt boy
gets his mom to order

Alan Summers
unpublished

Kigo Hotline 2009

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


horror night -
children eat
too much candy

Alex Serban
Romania, 2010


.................................................................................


Halloween night...
an eerie feeling
stalks me

Halloween night…
a stray black cat
crosses my path

Halloween night...
candles and flowers
for the tomb

Willie Bongcaron
Philippines, 2010


.................................................................................


a boy lies
in the casket on my porch...
Halloween night

Chen-ou Liu
Candad, 2010


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


Halloween night
children dressed in costumes
for their "trick-or-treat"

Witches and warlocks
costumes aren't too scary
on Halloween night

white clouds
lighted white candles line up
on unpainted tombs

early morning queue
an altercation ensues
at cemetery's gate

a throng of people...
candles and flowers sell
like hotcake

Willie Bongcaron, Manila


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


from facebook 2012, Joker,Smoker & Midnight Toker


*****************************
Related words

***** allhallowmass

All Saints' Day (in the Roman Catholic Church officially the Solemnity of All Saints and also called All Hallows or Hallowmas), often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity
celebrated on 1 November by parts of Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honor of all the saints, known and unknown.


allhallowmas ...
the goblins go back
into their books

Alan Summers
Publications credits: The Haiku Calendar 2010

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

October blue sky---
a witch buys a new broom
for Halloween

Fred Masarani, New York - 2013

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::



source : ameblo.jp/dan-yormun だん

Fudo Myo-O on his way to a halloween party


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

***** All Saints’ Day

***** Pumpkin (kabocha)


[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Additions July 2005

safekeep copy

........................................................................ July 2005Trumpet Creeper (noozenkazura) (05) JapanPolar Night (05) Polar CircleWhite Night (05) Polar CircleFestival (matsuri) (05) JapanWoodpecker (kitsutsuki, kera) JapanLunchbox (bentoo) (05) boxed lunch, lunch box, o-bentoo, JapanRomanian Kiyose (05)Thunder (kaminari) (05) also Lightning (inazuma) JapanJelly Bean Cake (mizu yookan) (05) Japan, red bean cakeRainy Season (tsuyu) Japan (05)

***********************
Please send your contributions to Gabi Greve
worldkigo .....

Back to the WHC Worldkigo Index
http://worldkigodatabase.blogspot.com/

Great cold (daikan)

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Great Cold (daikan)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Late Winter, around January 20
***** Category: Heaven

*****************************
Explanation

Great Cold, daikan, taikan 大寒
"Coldest Day" kan no hi 寒の日

According to the Asian lunar calendar, the 20th day of the first lunar month is one of the coldest days.
Now re-located in January, but it should be February.

(The adaption of the Gregorian calendar had its problems for the haiku poets.)

January here stands for "the first lunar month".

.................................................................................



Photo by Gabi Greve
- Cold Winter Morning -

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

quote
January is also the extremely cold season in a year.
Shookan (less cold) fall on the 15th day after Touji (> winter solstice). It is on about January the 6th. Kan (cold season) continues from Shoukan to the day before of Risshun(the first day of spring).

So we refer to the period of these 30 days as Kan-no-uchi (midwinter)
from Kan-no-iri(beginning of midwinter) to
Kan-ake (the end of cold season).

Daikan(great cold) is on the 15th day, around January 20th after Shoukan. It is by far the coldest through the year.
It is wrong to refer to these 15 days between Shoukan and Daikan as Shoukan. Either Shoukan or Daikan shows only one day of the twenty four designated seasonal days, so now let's learn correctly how to use each word.
Inahata Teiko
http://www.kyoshi.or.jp/12month/12month-1.htm

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::





Contribution of Larry Bole

"Taikan Misogi" 大寒禊
3 days around 20 January
Kasuga Jinja, Hofu, Yamaguchi Prefecture

Held on what is decreed to be the coldest day of the year.
Participants soak themselves in a bath of cold water before hot drinks and porridge. Said to ward off colds in the coming year.
http://www.japanvisitor.com/


There is something similar in England:

"January 13th: St Hilary's Day:
In 1205 there was a terrible frost across many of the English counties, and after that time St Hilary's Day became known as the coldest day of the year in popular lore."
http://www.gardenhistoryinfo.com/medieval/medtime02.html

and also:

"There is an old belief in Yorkshire that January 14, the feast of St Hilary, is the coldest day of the year.

Although there is little evidence to support this, January has produced some extremely cold weather over the centuries and it is widely believed that this regularly occurs about three weeks after the winter solstice.

Not only is St Hilary's Day supposed to be the coldest of the year, but January is also reckoned to be our coldest month. It has certainly included some spectacularly chilly events - until the middle of the 18th century, for example, it was common for the River Thames in London to be frozen over, sometimes with markets, fairs [known as 'Frost Fairs'] and skating taking place on the thick ice.
Similarly, rivers and ponds across England were also frozen, with the ice being strong enough to support skaters, and this sort of cold weather occurred in fairly recent times."
http://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/


Some "coldest day of the year" haiku I found:

coldest day of the year -
the moon lifts the tide
to overflowing

-Hoshika Katsumi, age 75, male
http://www.ecf.or.jp/shiki/2001/100haiku-e.html


coldest day of the year
the lone skater laps
his breath

-George Swede
http://www.terebess.hu/english/usa/swede.html

Compiled by Larry Bole
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cherrypoetryclub/message/29943

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


The Asian Lunar Calendar.
Our Haiku Reference


kan no iri 寒の入 (かんのいり) "cold period begins"

kan no uchi 寒の内 (かんのうち)
"within the cold period"

kan doyoo 寒土用 (かんどよう) doyoo period of the cold


and a few more kigo :

. Cold in late winter .


*****************************
Worldwide use

*****************************
Things found on the way

The School of the Seasons, a treasure trove
http://www.schooloftheseasons.com/archives.html

Signs of the Season: Winter
January Calendar & Holidays

by Waverly Fitzgerald

*****************************
HAIKU

Daikan ya nagarete mune ni hibiku kyoku

Great Cold Day
music floats
through my mind
(Tr. Etsuko Yanagibori and Gabi Greve)

Hakyo Ishida
http://www.lib.ehime-u.ac.jp/KUHI/ENG/hakyoeng.html


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


kan no hi ni iku tabi kawaru umi no iro

Coldest Day !
changing all the time
the color of the sea
(Tr.Etsuko Yanagibori and Gabi Greve)

Heinosuke Gosho 五所平之助
http://www.bookrags.com/biography/heinosuke-gosho/


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


coldest day -
an eagle's head
above the mist

Cindy Zackowitz

Winter Haiku by Cindy
http://www.tempslibres.org/cindy/en/idxhiver.html


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


great cold day
even thoughts frozen
except for one

Great Cold Day
the face burned
by frosty wind

- Shared by Gennady Nov
Joys of Japan, March 2012


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


great cold day
forefeels the approach
of the sakura front

- Shared by Hideo Suzuki
Joys of Japan, March 2012

sakura front, sakura zensen 桜前線, the way how cherry blossoms start in Okinawa and work their way up north, until the front reaches Hokkaido. It takes about two months and is in the daily news.


*****************************
Related words

***** January

***** . Heaven in Winter ... SAIJIKI .



[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Grape Festival (Winzerfest)

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　


Grape Festival
Wine Festival (German : Winzerfest)

***** Location: Europe
***** Season: Mid-Autumn
***** Category: Humanity

*****************************
Explanation

First read about the grapes and the grape harvest .


In most contries of Europe, the autumnal grape harvest is preceeded by a grape festival or wine festival. The old barrels have to get empty and make space for the new wine... so in some areas, more than a week of rural festivities are celebrated.
Words like new wine, wine queen, wine parade and so forth are all kigo in this category.

In my hometown in Bensheim, a wine-growing area along the river Rhine valley, there was almost a week of festivities, with a small separate village erected around the market place (Winzerdorf). Every night for 10 days, there is dance and merrymaking, eating and of course drinking the old wine.

Gabi Greve

Bergsträßer Winzerfest in Bensheim
Das Winzerfest
http://www.buergergarde-neuhausen.de/html/winzerfest_bensheim.html
http://www.bensheim.de/


http://www.trachtenkapelle-lindenfels.de/20041.htm


*****************************
Worldwide use

China

Traubenfest in Xinjiang Grape Festival in Lüyou Guangchang, with the Uigurs.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

France

FETE DE VENDANGES, OUVEILLAN, AUDE, SOUTH OF FRANCE



The Fête de Vendanges is a wonderful weekend of festivities, parades, craftsmen and craftswomen plying their trade, folklore, and music, in the village of Ouveillan, about 15 kms from Narbonne, and a similar distance from Beziers.

BACKGROUND
The Fête de Vendanges, of Wine and Crafts takes place every year in Ouveillan in October. It continues an old and much loved custom of the Languedoc.

It was called "Dius oc vol" "Se Dius lo vol" or "Se Dius va vol", (What God wanted) - an expression that indicates a harvest feast at the end of the agricultural year. That marked a rite that was lost around about the last war. It was rediscovered in Languedoc: Aude, Arige, Tarn, Rouergue. It was a farewell to when the harvest was finished, a way to express thanks to fellow workers, and to enjoy a year that God had blessed. Towards the end of the harvest it was customary to work at a frantic speed "nos donaran pas solament lo temps de pissar" . Then there was the dinner: solenca, proferta sarda ou acabaira, a great feast offered to laborers, under a shelter or in the cart shed. It was the time for cassoulet with sausage and salt, poultry, legs of mutton. ..and wine. Afterwards during dessert everyone drank heartily of "brlot" - burnt brandy with sugar in large glasses.

Everyone was lively, ate more than they should, belched noisily (as was the polite custom to render homage to the generosity of the host) and sang. Singing was then a shout of triumph, - beautiful, free with a wonderful resonance. The peasant enjoyed himself fully, knowing after much work that this was the time to eat and drink to the full.

At this time, a drinking song was sung. It was popular because of its well chosen words, tone, the accompaniment of table banging, and stamping of feet, with a rhythm, and an energy that made glasses jump and dishes to break, finishing of course with shouts for more to drink!

http://www.le-guide.com/ouveillan/

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Germany and Swizerland

Winzerfest. Weinfest. Traubenfest, Winzerumzug, Winzerfestzug, Weinkönigin.

Vintners' festivals exist in many German and Swiss wine producing towns and villages. In both countries, these festivals bring the whole community together to celebrate work well done and accomplished, and can also be enjoyable fund-raising events, serving some community purpose -- e.g. in Efringen-Kirchen (Germany), towards new church bells and post-War rebuilding, in Döttingen (Switzerland), a donation to a children's home.

Isabelle Prondzynski

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Winzerfest in Efringen-Kirchen

Das erste Winzerfest in Efringen-Kirchen fand 1950 bei der Turnhalle in der Nähe des Nikolaus-Däublin-Wegs statt. Es wurde gefeiert, um Geld für neue Kirchenglocken sowie den Wiederaufbau der durch den Krieg zerstörten Häuser zu sammeln. Damals wurde das Fest von der Gemeinde, den Gesangvereinen, vom Handorgelverein und dem Musikverein organisiert.

http://www.winzerfest-efringen-kirchen.de/

Look at some photos
http://www.winzerfest-efringen-kirchen.de/31332.html

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Döttingen (Switzerland)

Der alljährliche Döttinger Winzerumzug erfreut sich einer langjährigen Tradition.
http://www.winzerfest.ch/main.asp?nav=1


http://www.winzerfest.ch/past/detail.asp?nav=6100&ID=40851&folder=28&event=27

Another typical scene :
http://www.winzerfest.ch/past/photos.asp?nav=6100&folder=28&event=27

Look at more photos from past years:
http://www.winzerfest.ch/past/photos.asp?nav=6100

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Italy

THE TUSCAN GRAPE FESTIVAL !
Have you ever taken part in a vintage?
Even so in the gorgeous Etruscan Valley of Tuscany?
We herewith would like to invite you to experience a very special vintage with real Tuscan flair!
http://www.urlaubtoscana.de/engl/vintage_tuscany.html

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

North America

Traubenfest - Grape Festival - Cleveland, Ohio

The event is being sponsored by the Cleveland Saxon Dance Group. Enjoy a delicious schnitzel dinner, Dobos torte for dessert. Performances by the Youngstown Saxon Culture Group and the Cleveland Saxon Dance Group. Enjoy the show and then dance all night to the sounds of Bergvagabunden. Participate in the tradition of "Grape Stealing."

*****************************
Things found on the way


*****************************
HAIKU


harvesting grapes -
how soon a good wine
turns vinegar

Gabi Greve


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　


a stillness of grapes
awaiting the glass --
tractor now silent

Anthony Tidswell
http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/257

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx



along the fence
tasting a grape
from each vine

Michael Baribeau


*****************************
Related words

***** Grapes and Grape Harvest, Vendanges
budoo (Japan)


***** Harvest Thanksgiving (Europe)


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Grebe Bird

[ . BACK to Worldkigo TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Grebe (Podiceps family of Birds)

***** Location: South Central Alaska
***** Season: All Summer in Alaska, Winter in Japan
***** Category: Animal

*****************************
Explanation

Grebe (Podiceps family of Birds)

kaitsuburi, nio カイツブリ　ニオ

A migratory water bird which lives in Alaska from May to late September.

Red-necked Grebe 　
Podiceps grisegena

Description
18-20" (46-51 cm). A slender bird and, in the East, the largest regularly occurring grebe. In breeding plumage, has rufous neck, black cap, whitish cheeks, and long, pointed yellowish bill. In winter, mainly gray, with paler cheeks, pale (not necessarily yellow) bill. In flight, distinguished from loons by its smaller size and white wing patches.

Habitat
Ponds and lakes in summer; large lakes, coastal bays, and estuaries in winter and migration.

Nesting
4 or 5 bluish-white eggs, stained brown, on a floating mass of dead reeds and grass in reedy lakes. Rarely nests in colonies.

Range
Breeds from Alaska and northern Canada south to Oregon, Idaho, Ontario, and southern Minnesota; rarely east to southern Quebec. Winters south along coasts to southern California and Georgia, rarely to Florida. Also in Eurasia.

Voice
Usually silent. On breeding grounds, a variety of squeaks, growls, and wailing calls.

Discussion
Highly aquatic, grebes can swim with only their heads above water, concealing themselves in low pond vegetation. The young, handsomely striped in black and white, are often seen riding on the parents' backs. Like loons, grebes are expert divers, propelling themselves with their lobed toes as they pursue fish, crustaceans, and aquatic insects.
http://www.enature.com/fieldguide/showSpeciesIMG.asp?imageID=17006


Click on the photo to see more !

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


The Pied-billed Grebe
Podilymbus podiceps
is a species of the grebe family of water birds. Since the Atitlán Grebe, Podilymbus gigas, has become extinct, it is the sole extant member of the genus Podilymbus.

The Pied-billed Grebe breeds in south-central Canada, throughout the United States, Central America, the Caribbean, and temperate South America.

Pied-billed Grebes feed mainly on aquatic invertebrates, and also on small fish and amphibians (frogs, tadpoles). Pied-billed Grebes have been shown to eat their own feathers to aid in digestion (prevent injury from small bones).
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


*****************************
Worldwide use

The grebes are an ancient family going back 80 million years, well-represented in the fossil record, and not closely related to any other birds. They are adapted for diving, with legs set well back on the body and toes lobed. They spend virtually all their time in the water and are very ungainly on land, even when just turning eggs at an anchored nest of floating vegetation. The highly migratory northern hemisphere species, like the Horned Grebe, are brightly feathered in summer but become plain dark-and-white in winter. More sedentary birds, such as the Pied-billed Grebe, wear more similar plumages throughout the year.

Tropical grebes tend to be small and dark, from the Australasian Little Grebe of Australia & New Guinea to the Least Grebe of the American neotropics.

For pictures see this LINK.
http://www.montereybay.com/creagrus/grebes.html

ｘｘｘｘｘｘｘｘｘｘｘｘｘｘｘｘｘｘｘｘｘｘｘｘｘｘｘｘｘｘｘｘ

Japan

Kaitsuburi かいつぶり　(or the reading of nio to make it shorter for counting 5-7-5) is a
kigo for winter.

Nio no su, the floating nest of the grebe at Lake Biwa and other lakes, is seen in spring (May), as in the following haiku by Basho. They are found so often and in great numbers, so the Lake is called “Nio no umi”, “Sea of the Grebe”.

１６８７年（貞享４年）の夏、芭蕉は江戸にあって二度目の長旅を計画していた。再び関西をめぐる「笈の小文」の旅である。こころは既に近江にあった。琵琶湖の葦の根本に作る鳰（にお）の巣でも見に行ってみようかと、友に旅の計画を打ち明けた。鳰はカイツブリのことで琵琶湖に多く棲息する。よって琵琶湖のことを「鳰の海」という。葦と鳰をみるには近江八幡の水郷がよい。　　

五月雨に 鳰の浮巣を 見にゆかん
samidare ni nio no ukisu o mi ni yukan

in the rain of the fifth month
let us go and see
the nest of the grebe
(Tr. Gabi Greve)

Matsuo Basho
(This is the fifth lunar month, now June, the rainy season in Japan.)




四方より　花吹き入れて　におの海
shihoo yori hana fuki-irete nio no umi
Basho

from all directions
cherry petals blown in
the Sea of the Grebe
(Tr. Gabi Greve)
http://www.takase.com/Haiku/HaikuSource01.htm


Genju-An no ki (The Hut of the Phantom Dwelling)
by Matsuo Basho

I too gave up city life some ten years ago, and now I'm approaching fifty. I'm like a bagworm that's lost its bag, a snail without its shell. I've tanned my face in the hot sun of Kisakata in Ou, and bruised my heels on the rough beaches of the northern sea, where tall dunes make walking so hard. And now this year here I am drifting by the waves of Lake Biwa.

The grebe attaches its floating nest to a single strand of reed, counting on the reed to keep it from washing away in the current. With a similar thought, I mended the thatch on the eaves of the hut, patched up the gaps in the fence, and at the beginning of the fourth month, the first month of summer, moved in for what I thought would be no more than a brief stay. Now, though, I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever want to leave.
http://terebess.hu/english/haiku/basho1.html


Matsuo Basho -
. - Oomi 近江 89 poems written in Omi, Shiga - .


*****************************
Things found on the way

*****************************
HAIKU

. WKD : Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 in Edo .


水鳥よ今のうき世に寝ぼけるな
mizudori yo ima no ukiyo ni nebokeru na
mizu-tori yo

hey water birds,
in today's floating world
you've gotta stay wide awake!
Tr. Chris Drake

This humorous winter hokku was written in the 12th month (January) of 1815, when Issa had returned to Edo from his hometown for a visit. In it Issa refers to two meanings of "floating world": 1) the world of the migrating ducks, geese, and other water birds who spend the winter floating on the ponds, lakes, rivers, and bays of Japan, and 2) "today's" floating world (ukiyo 浮世), the material world of economic concerns and momentary but precious pleasures, entertainments, and interests.

The big city of Edo, where Issa is staying now, is the center of "today's" life- and pleasure-affirming floating world, whose culture can still be seen as portrayed in many woodblock color prints -- known as ukiyo-e, "floating world pictures" -- of various aspects of worldly commoner life. The word "today's" contrasts this commoner-centered, change-affirming floating world (ukiyo) with the traditional Buddhist view of the world as a place of transience and sorrow (also ukiyo, but one of the characters is different) that was predominant in the medieval period. Issa's True Pure Land school of Buddhism is also more affirmative of the material floating world than many of the older schools of Buddhism, and Issa does not seem to be denying this contemporary world and asserting the superiority of the older medieval belief that the world is full of change and sorrow. At the same time, Issa was critical of many aspects of contemporary life in Edo.

The hokku is in the form of direct address to the water birds, so Issa is probably near one of the many ponds, canals, or rivers running through Edo that generally didn't freeze over in winter. Since the birds have flown south for the winter, Issa may assume they are naive and don't know much about "today's floating world" in Edo very well. As a former country boy who came to Edo and gradually learned about life there the hard way, Issa seems to want to give them some helpful advice. The birds are apparently napping or drowsy when Issa sees them, so he tells them to wake up. If they don't keep their eyes wide open, there are all sorts of people in the contemporary floating world who are just waiting to con and deceive them into buying all sorts of nice things and engaging in all sorts of interesting but expensive activities.

In Edo the word 'duck' also referred to humans and meant 'sucker, chump, pushover,' and Issa's warning is obviously aimed at more than the wintering birds only. Still, though Issa is talking mainly to human readers, he no doubt tries to wake up the water birds as well, since, although hunting was forbidden to commoners in Edo, duck and goose meat were considered a delicacy if you could get them.

Chris Drake



Matsuo Basho and
. - ukiyo 浮世 floating world - .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


the upturned edges
of lily pads –
grebe calls

Cindy Zackowitz
(unpublished)

a shadow drifts
across the pond-
the grebe's tucked head

Cindy Zackowitz
http://haiku.cc.ehime-u.ac.jp/~shiki/shiki.archive/html/9805/0211.html

autumn sky -
the grebe rises
from it's wakeall

Cindy Zackowitz
http://home.gci.net/~alaskahaiku/saijiki.html

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


flying through snow
a grebe's calling
moonlit voice

Anna Holley
http://www.ahapoetry.com/wtcrowbk.htm

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


In the next haiku we are back in Japan,
where the grebe is a kigo for winter.


the little grebe..
disappears.. .. .. .. .gone..
into the year end sea...
Basho
http://www.villarana.freeserve.co.uk/zipschool/haiku%20translation%20one.htm


*****************************
Related words

*****　Loon birds (Gavia family)

***** Water birds, mizudori (#mizutori) 水鳥

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Groundhog Day

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Groundhog Day

***** Location: North America, Europe
***** Season: Late Winter (February 2)
***** Category: Observance

*****************************
Explanation

In 1723, the Delaware Indians settled Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania as a campsite halfway between the Allegheny and the Susquehanna Rivers. The town is 90 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, at the intersection of Route 36 and Route 119. The Delawares considered groundhogs honorable ancestors. According to the original creation beliefs of the Delaware Indians, their forebears began life as animals in "Mother Earth" and emerged centuries later to hunt and live as men.

The name Punxsutawney comes from the Indian name for the location "ponksad-uteney" which means "the town of the sandflies." The name woodchuck comes from the Indian legend of "Wojak, the groundhog" considered by them to be their ancestral grandfather.

When German settlers arrived in the 1700s, they brought a tradition known as Candlemas Day (Lichtmess), which has an early origin in the pagan celebration of Imbolc. It came at the mid-point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. Superstition held that if the weather was fair, the second half of Winter would be stormy and cold.

For the early Christians in Europe, it was the custom on Candlemas Day for clergy to bless candles and distribute them to the people in the dark of Winter. A lighted candle was placed in each window of the home. The day's weather continued to be important. If the sun came out February 2, halfway between Winter and Spring, it meant six more weeks of wintry weather.

The earliest American reference to Groundhog Day can be found at the Pennsylvania Dutch Folklore Center at Franklin and Marshall College:

February 4, 1841 - from Morgantown, Berks County (Pennsylvania) storekeeper James Morris' diary..."Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog (Dachs) peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate."

According to the old English saying:

If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Winter has another flight.
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Winter will not come again.

From Scotland:

If Candlemas Day is bright and clear,
There'll be two winters in the year.

From Germany:

For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day,
So far will the snow swirl until May.
For as the snow blows on Candlemas Day,
So far will the sun shine before May.

And from America:

If the sun shines on Groundhog Day;
Half the fuel and half the hay.

Pennsylvania's official celebration of Groundhog Day began on February 2nd, 1886 with a proclamation in The Punxsutawney Spirit by the newspaper's editor, Clymer Freas: "Today is groundhog day and up to the time of going to press the beast has not seen its shadow." The groundhog was given the name "Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators, and Weather Prophet Extraordinary'' and his hometown thus called the "Weather Capital of the World.'' His debut performance: no shadow - early Spring.
The legendary first trip to Gobbler's Knob was made the following year.

http://www.stormfax.com/ghogday.htm

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


http://wilstar.com/images/groundhog.jpg

The lowly groundhog, often called a woodchuck, is the only mammal to have a day named in his honor. The groundhog's day is February 2. Granted, it's not a federal holiday; nobody gets off work. But still, to have a day named after you is quite a feat.
How did the ground hog come by this honor?
We have read most of it already. Here is another nice link.
http://wilstar.com/holidays/grndhog.htm

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A page with songs of the Groundhog Day.

Away in a meadow all covered with snow
The little old groundhog looks for his shadow
The clouds in the sky determine our fate
If winter will leave us all early or late

http://ourworld.cs.com/DonaldRHalley/ghdsongs.htm

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

.. .. .. Groundhog Day Photo Album

http://www.ontv.com/bulletin/jan2996/groundpix.htm


*****************************
Worldwide use

Germany



Maria Lichtmess / Mariä Lichtmeß (Candlemas)
Fest der Darstellung des Herrn im Tempel

Farmers sayings about this day:

Scheint zu Lichtmess die Sonne heiß, gibt's noch viel Schnee und Eis.

Ist's an Lichtmess kalt, kommt der Frühling bald.

Lichtmess schön und trocken, muss der Winter lange hocken.

Wenn der Nebel zu Lichtmess fallt, wird's gewöhnlich sehr lange kalt.

Wenn an Lichtmess der Dachs seinen Schatten sieht, er noch 4 Wochen in seinen Bau flieht.
(If the Groundhog sees his shadow, he will run back to his hole for another four weeks.)

Wenn die Bienen vom Baum aus keine Wolke sehen am Lichtmesstag, werden die Bienenvölker besonders gut.

Many more local German lore about every month.
http://www.wetter-mensch-natur.de/wetter/monate/lostage/lostage_feb_.htm

"Sonnt sich der Dachs in der Lichtmeßwoche,
bleibt er vier Wochen noch im Loche."
(If the groundhog is sunbathing in the week of the candlemass, he will stay in his hole for another four weeks.)
http://de.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bauernweisheiten



Two from Horst Ludwig, February 2014:

Hellere Sonne
über der Weite des Schnees. —
Mariä Lichtmeß

The brighter sun
above the expanse of the snow. —
Mary's Candlemass.

- source : tageshaiku.blogspot.jp


My graceful daughters
coming down the stairs after
Mary's Candlemass.

Anmutig die Töchter
die Kirchenstufen herab
nach Mariä Lichtmeß.

- source : tageshaiku.blogspot.jp


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Japan

seishokusai 聖燭祭 (せいしょくさい) Candlemass
..... shu no hooken 主の奉献（しゅのほうけん）
Presentation of Jesus at the Temple
主の迎接祭(しゅのげいせつさい)


*****************************
Things found on the way

Play the Groundhog Day Word Search Puzzle!

When do the Seasons begin?

*****************************
HAIKU

Groundhog Day --
my first son came out
into the cold

"chibi" (pen-name for Dennis M. Holmes)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

dragging its shadow
back to the den---
a sleepy groundhog

Ed Schwellenbach

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx



Haiku and arrangement : Linda Papanicolaou
Photo credit: US Dept. of Environmental Protection

*****************************
Related words

***** Couple’s Day (fuufu no hi, Japan) .. .. February 2



:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


. SAIJIKI
OBSERVANCES, FESTIVALS, RITUALS


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Graduation

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO　　TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Graduation (sotsugyoo, Japan)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Mid-Spring
***** Category: Observance / Humanity

*****************************
Explanation

graduation (sotsugyoo 卒業）
graduation ceremony (sotsugyooshiki 卒業式）
graduation song (sotsugyooka 卒業歌）


source :　funahashi-toshimitsu.jp

The academic year starts in April, so the Graduation ceremonies take place around the Spring solstice, March 22.

Since the schoolyear worldwide is different, the use as kigo will differ from place to place. See the entries below for your area.

Gabi Greve

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


The Japanese school year starts in April and ends in March, so there's a rush of graduation ceremonies from mid- to late March.

The ceremony consists basically of students receiving graduation certificates, but because it's the last event of the school year, it's conducted in a very solemn manner. The principal opens with an address, followed by speeches from invited guests. The certificates are then handed one by one to the students by the principal. It's an event in which everyone graduating is a hero or heroine.

After the students receive their diplomas, all participants sing "Hotaru no hikari" (light of fireflies) together. Other songs may be performed, too, but "Hotaru" is sung at virtually all schools. The song's melody comes from the Scottish folk tune "Auld Lang Syne," with lyrics in Japanese. The Ministry of Education approved the song for singing in schools back in 1881; today it's performed not just at graduations but any time people must part.

About 89,200 students graduated from public middle schools in Tokyo in March 1998, some 3,000 fewer than the year before. The figures are in keeping with the trend for families to have fewer children.
kidsweb/calendar/march/

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx



According to a survey by the Ministry of Education and Science, this spring's graduation ceremonies' enforcement rate of singing "Kimigayo" (the Japanese national anthem) crept ever closer to their target of 100%.

Kimigayo, the Japanese Anthem


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


The History of Graduation
http://www.brownielocks.com/graduation.html


*****************************
Worldwide use

Germany

Schulabschlussfeier, Abitur
kigo for summer

The school year begings after the summer holidays, usually sometime in August.
The final days of school are therefore in June/July, varying by the state and every year.

Reference : Abitur


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


Kenya

Graduation ceremonies
kigo for "Short Rains" (October)

most universities celebrate for the day, the students roam the city in their colourful gowns and get their pictures taken, lots of parties are held, and the ceremonies get reported on the prime evening news. A lovely time, when many a proud family gives thanks after years of work and encouragement for the happy child!

Isabelle Prondzynski


. Graduation in Kenya .


. School exams KCSE / KCPE .


*****************************
Things found on the way


*****************************
HAIKU

warm tears
and icecold hands -
graduation day

The big hall of our grammar school is usually sub-zero during the ceremony, when we have to sit straight and motionless, listening a last time to the six-graders reciting grouptalk.
It is an endearing ceremony in a village school with only 24 students and getting less every year... On the way out we shake hands for the last time with the little ones, before they enter the BIG school down the valley in the city.

Gabi Greve, Japan 2005

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


black and gold
shining among the stars
my lovely child

arm in arm
blow a kiss to the street girl --
graduate tomboys

Isabelle Prondzynski, Kenya 2005


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


graduation day—
my son & I side by side
knotting our ties

Lee Gurga in Modern Haiku
http://www.modernhaiku.org/essays/AmericanHaikuFuture.html


*****************************
Related words


***** . School life in all seasons


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO　　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::