Twenty-Four Seasons No. 19 [First Winter] (Ritto)
The beginning of winter.
It's the time when the sunlight during the day is weakening, the air is getting colder, and you can feel the signs of winter.
News of the first tree fall and the first snow will gradually begin to arrive.
Gradually, the first frost begins to appear, and in no time the weather changes to a winter-like appearance.
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The beginning of each season, including the beginning of winter.
The first day of spring, the first day of summer, the first day of autumn, and the first day of winter.
They are collectively called ``Shiryu''.
▼About “Shiryu”
These are the beginnings of the seasons, and the day before that there is Setsubun, which separates the seasons. Speaking of [Setsubun],
The day before Risshun (February 4th) is famous, but since each of the four seasons has a seasonal turning point, it would normally be visited four times a year. .
Since ancient times, it has been believed that ``at the turn of the seasons, there are great changes, and evil spirits (demons) arise, as evil spirits (eki) bring disease and disaster to the people.''
Annual events such as bean-throwing, which is currently held during Setsubun in February, and festivals to ward off evil spirits, were held at the turn of the seasons, such as Shitachi and Nishi Nibun.
(Today, it is still practiced at many shrines as a custom according to the calendar.)
It has been considered an auspicious event to safely reach the 4th anniversary.
Under such circumstances, many events for babies and children who are easily exposed to such seasonal milestones have been incorporated to coincide with such turning points.
Between the vernal equinox and the first day of spring, the Peach Festival protects girls and celebrates their growth.
On the first day of summer, we protect boys and celebrate their growth [Boys' Festival]
In addition, it is said that demons appear on New Year's Eve, which is the boundary of the year. And for the boy, [Hamayumi]. The custom of decorating girls with hagoita and protecting them still remains.
In addition, for the Shichi-Go-San festival, girls are given the hagoita that they received at the first festival as a talisman and talisman to protect the child and celebrate their growth, along with the origin of the Shichi-Go-San festival.
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The 72 signs of the beginning of winter are expressed as follows.
●The first season <55th season: First opening of sasancha (first opening of camellia)>●
Around the time when the Sazanka flowers begin to open.
Tsubaki does not refer to the camellia, but to the sasanqua flower, which belongs to the Camellia family. Camellias also bloom similar flowers, but sasanqua flowers bloom at this time of year, and spring camellias, on the other hand, bloom around the time of spring according to the calendar. Also, the petals of sasanqua flowers fall one by one, but the difference with camellias is that they do not scatter, but fall off with the whole flower.
●Next candidate <56th candidate "Chisuhitekooru">●
When the earth begins to freeze due to cold weather. The weather is getting colder day by day, and the season is approaching full-fledged winter.
Events around this time include the Shichi-Go-San Shrine mentioned earlier.
The girls are 3 and 7 years old. The boys are 3 and 5 years old. I will be visiting this year as a turning point.
It is a great joy to see a child grow up safely, and it is a day of celebration when, as parents, we can't help but wish for their healthy growth.
●Last Descendant <57th Descendant "Kinsen Kasaku">●
The time when daffodils bloom and give off a fragrant scent.
Daffodils are popular as New Year's flowers and tea flowers because of their elegant fragrance and dignified appearance, but they are also known to be highly poisonous. The scientific name ``Narcissus'' comes from Greek mythology.
The name comes from the name of a boy who was so in love with his own reflection in a fountain that when he kept looking at it, it turned into a single flower. That flower is a daffodil, which is the origin of the word narcissist.
