Higan

Higan is a week-long Japanese Buddhist festival in which people offer respect to the dead. It is celebrated twice each year, once in the spring, starting on March 18 or 19, and again in the fall beginning on either September 20 or 21. The term higan is linked to the Sanskrit term paramita, which means literally “going to the other shore.” In the Japanese Pure Land and True Pure Land traditions, this “other shore” is identified with Amida’s Pure Land.