The whole world uses the same basic calendar for communication and trade reasons, but there are still cultural differences that go way back. The four seasons are delineated by the solstices and the equinoxes, but you still hear local jokes about five seasons: spring, summer, fall, winter, and mud. The Japanese calendar divides the four main seasons into 72 much more detailed units called ko, each about five days long. If you want to be in tune with nature, each of these ko describe what the world around us will be doing as the weather, plants, and animals go through their annual cycles.
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According to the very detailed calendar, the first cherry blossoms will appear March 26–30, frogs begin to sing May 5–9, and praying mantises hatch June 6–10. Keeping up with such things sounds quite pleasant, as long as the world acts normally. Those who follow traditional ko are the first to notice how climate change is affecting the calendar. As a casual gardener, I am well aware of which flowers should bloom each month, and they’ve been alarmingly off schedule this year.
Read how the Japanese micro-seasons came about and see a list of all 72 of them at Amusing Planet.
(Image credit: Toshihiro Matsui)
Source: neatorama