Week 50: “The Bear Retreats To Its Den”

December 11 – December 17 is the 50th week of the Gregorian calendar.  This week, we are in the Solar Term of Major Snow (Dec 07 – Dec 21), and the micro-seasons of  “The Sky is Cold, Winter Comes” (Dec 07 – Dec 13), and “The Bear Retreats to its Den” (Dec. 12 -Dec 16).

The haiku selected for this week were written by Basho, Issa, Buson, Reichhold, and Kerouac.

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The 24 Solar Terms 

The 24 solar terms were created by farmers in ancient China  (206 BCE and 24 CE) to help guide their agricultural activities. Each solar term is 15 days long and is based on the climate around the city Xi’an, which was the capital of the Han Dynasty (206 BCE to 220 CE). ⁽¹⁾

This week we are in the Solar Term of Major Snow (Dec 07 – Dec 21).  Major Snow is the 21^st Solar Term of the year.

At this time of year in northern China, the snow is often heavy causing damage to trees and disrupting daily activities.  In the southern parts of China, the snow is consistent but much lighter.

While the heavy snow may seem like a challenge, farmers see it as a good thing. There is a traditional Chinese proverb that states, “A timely snow promises a good harvest”.  The belief behind this proverb is that heavy snow will protect the root systems and provide plenty of water for the next growing season.^(2,3)

Also during this time of year, wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox) blooms. Wintersweet, which is sometimes called Japanese allspice, is a flowering plant native to China.  Wintersweet along with pine and bamboo are referred to as the “Three Friends of Winter”.^(2,3)

The 72 Seasons

The 72-season calendar was established in 1685 by Japanese astronomer Shibukawa Shunkai.  Each season lasts for about 5 days and offers “a poetic journey through the Japanese year in which the land awakens and blooms with life and activity before returning to slumber.”⁽⁵⁾

During this week, “The Sky is Cold, Winter Comes” ends, and we have the micro-season of  “The Bear Retreats to its Den” (Dec. 12 -Dec 16).  

“The Bear Retreats to its Den”

As winter begins to take hold, animals are implementing all sorts of survival strategies. Some birds migrate to warmer climates. Some mammals, like deer, grow thicker coats of fur to stay warm, and other mammals, like bears, find a cozy den to rest. 

But, contrary to what you might have learned in school, bears don’t hibernate.  Well, at least they don’t enter true hibernation.  In true hibernation, “body temperature is close to 0° C (32° F); the respiration is only a few breaths per minute, and the heartbeat is so slow and gradual as to be barely perceptible.”⁽⁶⁾ While bears do enter a state of decreased activity that looks similar to true hibernations, they actually enter a state known as torpor.

Torpor is similar to hibernation with decreased breathing and heart rate, lower metabolic rate, and slightly lower body temperature.  However, unlike true hibernation which lasts until the animal is exposed to warmer temperatures, torpor is often broken up by periods of activity. ^(7,8)

One of the benefits of torpor is that it is easy for an animal to emerge from its “sleeping” state. Animals in torpor can awaken quickly if there is danger or the opportunity to feed. Bears also give birth during the winter.⁽⁹⁾ This means that the mother bear needs to be able to care for her cubs while in the den.  Bears wouldn’t be able to do this if they entered true hibernation. 

You can read more about this topic in last year’s post

Astronomical Season

December 17, the last day of week 50, is 56 days past the autumn equinox (Sept 23, 2023) and 04 days until the winter solstice (December 21, 2023) in the Northern Hemisphere. This means that next week we will enter astronomical winter. 

December’s New Moon

December’s new moon was on December 12. A new moon occurs when the moon is directly between the Earth and the sun.  When this happens, the moon’s shadow side faces the earth making it difficult to see.

If we look toward the field of astrology, we find out that December’s new moon coincides with the astrological sign of Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21).  Jill Wintersteen, a columnist for Yoga Journal, explains the potential impact of this. 

“The new Moon in Sagittarius asks us to take a leap of faith. It encourages us to view the possibilities of our lives from the most optimistic viewpoint available. This is not a Moon to wonder if your intentions will manifest. It’s a Moon to wonder when. As you align with the energy of this day, lean into the excitement in the air.”⁽¹⁰⁾ 

To learn more read about this topic, see Winterseen’s full article: “What the New Moon in Sagittarius Means for You”.

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Seasonal Haiku

In The Five Hundred Essential Japanese Season Words as selected by Kenkichi Yamamoto, December is considered mid-winter.  Some potential relevant kigo are “winter seclusion”, “short days”, “cold’, and “freeze”.

In Jane Reichhold’s A Dictionary of Haiku, there are a few related kigo such as “bear”, “solitude”, “isolation”, “snowbound”, and “winter seclusion”. 

Now with all this in mind, let’s read some haiku.

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Basho

on the gold screen
the pine’s great age
winter solitude 
(translated by Jane Reichhold)

Winter seclusion:
once again I will lean against
this post.
(translated by R.H.Blyth)

once in a while 
I see my own breath
winter confinement 
(translated by Jane Reichhold)

Issa

only halfway forced
isolation...
my winter seclusion 
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

adding to
my solitude...
frost on the window 
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

Buson

Even more so
because of being alone
the moon is a friend
(translated by Y. Sawa and E.M. Shiffert)

A lonely fire —
my house is secluded
by snow
(translated by Allan Persinger)

Reichhold

sweet cold
incense in a winter room
alone

snowbound
all the colors
quiet

Kerouac

A big fat flake
   of snow
Falling all alone

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Haiku invitation

This week’s haiku invitation is to write a haiku or senryu referencing winter solitude or winter isolation.

Share your haiku in the comments below, or post on your own page and link back to this post. I can’t wait to read what you write!  

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Thank You!

About the Haiku

Basho’s haiku were retrieved from “Matsuo Bashō’s haiku poems in romanized Japanese with English translations” Editor: Gábor Terebess.  Issa’s haiku were retrieved from David G. Lanoue’s Haiku Guy.  Buson’s haiku was retrieved from Thirteen Haiku by Yosa Buson (1716 to 1784) Upaya.org and Foxfire:The Selected Poems of Yosa Buson. Jane Reichhold’s haiku were retrieved from Dictionary of Haiku.  Kerouac’s haiku was retrieved from Book of Haikus by Kerouac.

References

1. “24 Solar Terms”; ChinaHighlights.com
2. “24 Solar Terms: 6 things you may not know about Major Snow”; ChinaDaily.com
3. Lanzhi, Xu. The 21st Solar Term – Heavy Snow. Tianjin University
4. “Japan’s 72 Microseasons”; Nippon.com
5. 72 Seasons App
6. “Hibernation”; Britannica.com
7. “Snug in the Snow”; Environmental Education for Kids
8. Chris Bachman; “Do Bears Really Hibernate” National Forest Foundation.
9. “Black Bears”; National Park Service
10. Wintersteen, Jill, “ New Moon in Sagittarius”. YogaJournal.com