2023/11/22 04:56 Weather News
While there are many regions where it hasn’t snowed yet, news of snow is arriving one after another from the northern countries and mountains.
Light snow is the season that quietly heralds the arrival of winter.
“Konoha Shigure” – Feeling the arrival of winter as the leaves fall
Shigure is rain that falls intermittently from late autumn to early winter.
“The rain of time” is written as “Sigure.” Some people may think it’s a strange word.
There are several theories about the etymology of Shigure.
A common theory is that the word “shigure” comes from the word “gaguru” and has the meaning of passing rain.
Another theory is that it changed from “darkness for a while”. When it rains even for a little while, it gets dark for a while. Considering that, this theory makes some sense.
The atmosphere and sound of Shigure are loved by many people and have been compared to various things.
For example, “semi sigure” refers to the sound of many cicadas, and “mushi sigure” refers to the sound of many autumn insects chirping.
And “Konoha Shigure” compares the falling leaves of a tree to a rainy day.
The falling leaves of the trees remind me of the arrival of winter. These words also make me want to have that kind of peace of mind.
What other seasons do you see light snow?
The snow that flickers like petals on a sunny day, or the snow that flutters down in early winter when the wind starts to blow, is called “Fuka.”
It’s interesting that there are words for snow that don’t use the characters for snow, even though it’s snow. Perhaps it came to be called “Faze Flower” because it looks like pale flower petals dancing in the wind.
Our ancestors believed that there was life in the wind, flowers, and even snow, and may have named it out of love for the dancing snow.
A kotatsu cat and a simmering cat appear!?
The nursery rhyme “Yuki” sung by the Ministry of Education has the following lyrics.
Snow and Konko Hail and Konko
Even if it rains or rains, it still won’t stop raining
The dog is happy running around the garden
The cat curls up under the kotatsu
The contrast between dogs and cats is interesting. There is even a word called “Kotatsu Neko”.
Another type of cat, “kajikeneko,” is a cat that is cowering in the cold. The cat itself may be cold, but to humans, a curled up cat is cute.
Niinaa is said to be a variation of “Ni-no-ae” (new banquet). A banquet is a ritual in which the emperor offers a feast of newly harvested grain to the gods, and the emperor himself eats it. It has been practiced since ancient times.
After the solar calendar was adopted, Niinamesai was decided to be held on November 23rd. In addition to the Imperial Palace, Niiname-sai is held on November 23rd at shrines all over the country.
Since 1948, November 23rd has become a national holiday as Labor Thanksgiving Day. It is a day to not only give thanks for the harvest of new grains and agriculture, but also to respect hard work, celebrate production, and give thanks to each other.
As “Konoha Shigure” shows, light snow is also the season for falling leaves. It may be a good idea to take a stroll along the path colored with fallen yellow, brown, and red leaves and enjoy the progress of the seasons.
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Supervision
Keiko Yamashita: Writer. Books such as “24 solar terms and 72 seasons’ seasonal notebook” (Seibido Publishing) and “72 seasons of Japanese beauty” (PHP Institute) use the Japanese calendar as a theme to explore the beauty of the Japanese language and words. There are many books written by him.
2023-11-21 19:56:00
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