Week 05: “NaHaiWriMo”

January 29 – February 04 is the fifth week of 2024 in the Gregorian calendar.  During this week, we complete the Solar Term of Major Cold (Jan 20 – Feb 04), and have the micro-seasons of “The Mountain Stream Freezes Over” (Jan 25 – Jan 29) and “The Chicken Lays Her First Eggs” (Jan 30 – Feb 04). This week also marks the beginning of National Haiku Writing Month.

The haiku selected for this week are written by Basho, Issa, Buson, Shiki, Haritsu, Kerouac, and Kyoshi.

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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⁾

Major Cold

 Major Cold is the last Solar Term of winter and the last Solar Term in the Lunar Calendar. Snow, icy rain, and cold temperatures are common and welcomed during this time.  The accumulation of snow will provide a reserve of water for the upcoming growing seasons, and the colder weather will help control the population of pests that might damage the spring crops.⁽²⁾ 

“A year’s plan starts with spring”

On February 04, 2024, we move into the Solar Term of Lichun or the Beginning of Spring.  This is the first Solar Term of the new Lunar Year. “A year’s plan starts with spring” is a traditional saying associated with the beginning of Spring.⁽¹⁾

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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.”⁽⁴⁾

The micro-seasons for this week are “The Mountain Stream Freezes Over” (Jan 25 – Jan 29) and “The Chicken Lays Her First Eggs” (Jan 30 – Feb 04).

About A Chicken and Her Eggs

A chicken’s egg production is connected to the amount of available daylight because of the pineal gland.  The pineal gland, which is located behind the hen’s eye, sends hormones to the hen’s ovaries and triggers egg production.  The pineal gland only sends hormones when there is enough light.^(5,6)  

Hens usually start laying eggs when there are about 14 hours of daylight.  However, the optimal conditions for egg laying are 16 hours of daylight.^(5,6)

It is possible to manipulate a hen’s egg production with supplemental lighting. When using supplemental light to stimulate egg laying, the lights should be:

• low-intensity,
• placed on a timer so they will go on and off at the correct time,
• work in conjunction with a light sensor so they will turn off when there is enough natural sunlight, and
• be placed over feeders and waterers so there are places in the hen house that are not in the light.⁽⁶⁾

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Astronomical Season

February 04, is the last day of week 05 of 2024. February 04 is also 45 days past the winter solstice and 44 days until the spring equinox.  This places us at the midpoint between astronomical winter and astronomical spring, and you might also be noticing that the days are becoming longer.

Daylight Hours

The length of the day is calculated by counting the hours between sunrise and sunset. This means the length of day varies depending on where you are on the Earth.  For example, in Northern Vermont, on the winter solstice, the length of the day was 8 hours and 51 minutes.  In New Orleans  Louisiana, the same day was 10 hours and 13 minutes long. 

There is a slight discrepancy between the length of day and the actual amount of available daylight because of twilight. Twilight is the period before sunrise and after sunset when the atmosphere is partially illuminated by the sun.  This happens because the sun has dipped below the horizon, but its light is still scattered in the upper atmosphere.  Twilight usually lasts for about 20 or 30 minutes on either side of sunrise or sunset. 

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Seasonal haiku

 The beginning of February marks the beginning of spring in both the Solar Terms and the 72-season calendar.  The beginning of February is also the beginning of National Haiku Writing Month or NaHaiWriMo.

During National Haiku Writing Month, the goal is to write one haiku a day for the month.  So to launch us into NaHaWriMo, I wanted to do something a little bit different with this week’s selected haiku.  

This week, we are going to read examples of haiku and senryu that reference writing poetry. 

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Basho

it’s a beginning poem
the name of the renga master
at home on New Year’s 
(translated by Jane Reichhold) 

rabbit-ear iris
it gives me an idea 
for a poem 
(translated by Jane Reichhold)

Take a journey 
And know my haiku 
Autumn wind. 
(translated by Takafumi Saito & William R. Nelson) 

Issa

an off-the-cuff haiku
for a poor crop...
mountain cherry blossoms 
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

first winter rain--
the world drowns
in haiku 
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

a day for wandering
a day for haiku...
spring rain 
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

Buson

I cannot write
in the spring rain —
how nice  
(translated by Allan Persinger)

Shiki

Tell them
I was a persimmon eater
who liked haiku 
(translated by Burton Watson)

Haritsu

cuckoo call–
a monk wrote haiku on a rock
and journeyed on
(retrieved for Haiku Enlightenment)

Kerouac

Blizzard in the suburbs
  –the mailman
And the poet walking

Wild to sit on a haypile.
   Writing Haikus,
Drinkin wine

Kyoshi

autumn wind
everything visible 
is haiku
(retrieved for Haiku Enlightenment)

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Haiku invitation

This week’s haiku invitation is to write a haiku or senryu that references writing poetry. 

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

Also, let me know if you are going to take up the challenge of writing one haiku a day for the month of February.

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Let’s Spread the Joy of Haiku!

Buy a haiku book for the Woodbury Community Library (Woodbury, VT) and help them spread the joy of haiku! Follow this link to see the wish list and how you can help.

Thank you for your support!

You can also support our work by donating at “Buy Me a Coffee” or shopping at our bookstore.

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 Foxfire: The Selected Poems of Yosa Buson. Jane Reichhold’s haiku were retrieved from Dictionary of Haiku. Kerouac’s haiku was retrieved from Kerouac’s  Book of Haikus. 

Resources

1. “The 24 Solar Terms”; China Educational Tours
2. 24 Solar Terms: 6 things you may not know about Major Cold; ChinaDaily.com
3. 72 Seasons App
4. “Japan’s 72 Microseasons”; Nippon.com
5. “Why do chickens need sunlight?”. TheGoodLifeBackyard.com.au
6. Ockert, Katie. “Decreasing daylight and its effect on laying hens”. Michigan State University
7. National Haiku Writing Month Website