Fresh Flowers Everywhere
I find Japanese cemeteries to be really interesting and beautiful. Because of the tight space (everyone is cremated) they almost look like a giant chessboard, with each family’s grave topped by a stone pillar with the family crest and name. If you went to the cemetery in Japan yesterday, you would find it to be especially pretty, probably one of the prettiest days of the year. The reason is that Friday was the spring equinox.
In the US, spring equinox goes by in relative obscurity. Few people would even know the word equinox (coming from the same Latin root as the word “equal” because on this day the length of night and day are exactly the same). Those who are familiar with it simply know it as the day that coincides with the first day of Spring. The only people who mark it’s passing are elementary school students who might do an art project.
However in Japan the spring equinox is a national holiday. It is a time where people get together for family reunions and begin to celebrate the blossoming of the cherry trees. Just as important is the fact that it is one of the four times a year where Japanese people visit the family grave. On the equinox and the weekend surrounding it, the cemetery is a busy place and by the time most people have visited, it is covered with fresh flowers. Typically, a Japanese family will tidy up the grave, put out fresh flowers, and then light some incense asking their ancestral spirit for blessing in their lives. For some is holds spiritual significance, for others it is simply a cultural tradition.
Please pray for the Japanese people who still worship their ancestor spirits. Pray that they would come to understand that Christ is the only person worthy of worship. Pray for us and others in cross-cultural ministry as we interact with Japanese Christians and seekers. Pray that we would be able to help these people be able to follow the teachings of scripture while still showing respect for their ancestors and Japanese cultural traditions.