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Micro-season 1 of 72Start of Spring

East Wind Melts the Ice

東風解凍はるかぜこおりをとく

春風が氷を解かしはじめる

SpringFebruary 4〜February 8

EN

In English

The warm wind from the east begins to melt the winter ice. In old poetry the east wind is the messenger that tells the world spring has started.

東から吹くあたたかい風が、冬の氷を解かしはじめる。古い和歌では、東風は春の訪れを告げる使いとされた。

The solar term it belongs to

Start of SpringりっしゅんRisshun marks the first day of spring on the old calendar. It is still cold, but from this day words like "early spring" start appearing in letters and shop windows.

Japanese culture around February