Week 51: “Winter Solstice”

December 18 – December 24 is the 51st week of the Gregorian calendar.  During this week, we complete the Solar Term of Major Snow (Dec 07 – Dec 21) and enter the Solar Term of Winter Solstice (Dec 21 – Jan 05).  The micro-seasons for this week are “The Salmon Gather to Spawn” (Dec 17 – Dec 21), and “The Common Self-Heal Sprout” (Dec. 22 -Dec 26).

The haiku selected for this week are written by Basho, Issa, Buson, Hakyo, and Reichhold. 

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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 complete the Solar Term of Major Snow (Dec 07 – Dec 21) and enter the Solar Term of Winter Solstice (Dec 21 – Jan 05).  Winter Solstice is the 22nd Solar Term of the year. 

Dongzhi Festival

The Dongzhi Festival, also known as the  Winter Solstice Festival, is a traditional festival that began in the Zhou Dynasty (1045 BCE –256 BCE).  Dongzhi, when translated, means “winter’s extreme”. The Dongzhi Festival marks the turning point of winter.^(2,3)

Families celebrate Dongzhi by gathering together and eating warm and hearty meals.  Some of the foods consumed at this time of year are dumplings, wontons, mutton and vermicelli soup, and nine-layer cake.^(2,3) 

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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⁾

The micro-seasons for this week are “The Salmon Gather to Spawn” (Dec 17 – Dec 21), and “The Common Self-Heal Sprout” (Dec. 22 -Dec 26).  

The Myth of Osuke, the King of Salmon

In Japan, on the 15th day of the 11 lunar month, the fishermen lift their nets to allow the salmon to travel upstream. Osuke, the King of Salmon, and his wife Kosuke lead the salmon migration.   

As Osuke travels upstream he calls out “Here we come up, Osuke and Kosuke!”, and sometimes “Osuke is now going upriver!” As the myth goes, if someone hears Osuke and Kosuke on their way up the river they will experience ill fortune and may even die.⁽⁶⁾ 

Migrating Fish

As indicated in the myth of King Osuke, salmon migrate to spawn.  Salmon spend their adult lives in the ocean and return to freshwater for spawning. This behavior is remarkable because these fish swim against the currents, and sometimes vast distances, to reach their original spawning grounds.  Scientists label this pattern of movement as anadromous.  Anadromous comes from the Greek words aná, which means “up”, and drómos, which means “course”, this is also translated to “upward running”. ^(7,8) 

Conversely, catadromous fish, follow an opposite pattern.  These types of fish dwell in freshwater but migrate to the ocean to reproduce. Eels are an example of catadromous fish. Catadromous means “downward running”.⁽⁸⁾

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Astronomical Season

December 24, the last day of week 51, is 03 days past the winter solstice and means that we have entered astronomical winter. 

The Winter Solstice (December 21, 2023) 

While the Earth travels around the Sun, it spins on its axis.  This earth’s axis is not perpendicular but at a 23.5-degree angle.  Because of this angle, some parts of the Earth receive more of the Sun’s warmth than others during the year.  A solstice is when the earth’s tilt away from, or towards, the sun is the greatest.  

At the winter solstice, the earth is at its greatest tilt away from the Sun  When this happens, we experience the shortest day of the year and the least amount of sunlight.  For people living in the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice is in December.  However, the winter solstice is in June if you live in the Southern Hemisphere.⁽⁹⁾

The winter solstice marks the beginning of the coldest part of the year and marks the transition towards longer days and shorter nights.

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Seasonal haiku

In the World Kigo Database by Dr. Gabi Greves “Winter solstice (tooji)” is a relevant winter kigo in Japan and globally.  Dr, Greves also lists “sun comes back” and food-related kigo like “Pumpkin Soup at the Winter Solstice”, “Ricecakes at the Winter Solstice”, and  “Rice Gruel at the Winter Solstice” as other options.

In The Five Hundred Essential Japanese Season Words as selected by Kenkichi Yamamoto, no kigo directly reference the winter solstice.  However, there “short day” and “year market” that are relevant.  

Yamamoto explains the “year market” by writing that the year market is “set up mid-Dec specifically to sell New Year’s decorations, toys, and related items. Somewhat like a Christmas-tree lot, but broader in scope.”

In Jane Reichhold’s A Dictionary of Haiku,  she lists “fish” and “winter solstice” as potential kigo for this week. 

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

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Basho

Market shoppers! 
let me sell you this hat
full of snow 
(translated by Haruo Shirane) 

for what 
in this year’s-end market 
goes a crow 
(translated by Jane Reichhold)

snowy morning 
all alone I chew 
dried salmon 
(translated by Jane Reichhold)

Issa 

I move my cactus
to the upper shelf –
it’s Winter Solstice.
(translated Robin Gill)

a wild fox celebrates
among rice sheaves...
winter solstice
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

my plum tree
looks no different...
winter solstice
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

Buson

A ceremonial scribe
walking in Yue-en garden
the winter solstice
(translated by Allan Persinger)

Ishida Hakyo

wind and clouds
playing just a little -
winter solstice
(translated Gabi Greve)

Reichhold

winter solstice
so low in the trees its return
just stays

winter solstice
the white night alone
with rolling surf

ripples in water
fish spines
and mine

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Haiku Invitation

This week’s haiku invitation is to write a haiku or senryu referencing the winter solstice.

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 and World Kigo Database. Ishida Hakyo haiku was retrieved from World Kigo Database.  Buson’s haiku was retrieved from Foxfire: The Selected Poems of Yosa Buson. Jane Reichhold’s haiku were retrieved from Dictionary of Haiku.  

Resources:

1. “24 Solar Terms”; ChinaHighlights.com
2. “24 Solar Terms: 9 things about winter solstice”; ChinaDaily.com
3. Dongzhi Festival; Wikipedia
4. “Japan’s 72 Microseasons”; Nippon.com
5. 72 Seasons App
6. “Salmon Osuke Legends”, Dr. Gabi Greve, Daruma Museum Japan
7. “Fish Migration”; Wikipedia
8. “Catadromous—Diadromous And Anadromous Fishes”; Encyclopedia.com
9. “Solstice”, National Geographic