April 4th, 2025-April 8th is Spring-First stage of SEIMEI (pure and clear)-13th KOU “TSUBAME (swallows return).” The twenty-four seasonal points in the lunisolar calendar (the traditional Japanese calendar) entered the SEIMEI. This means that everything is pure and lively.
The swallows have returned again this year!
The first time I saw swallows this year was on March 29th. Many swallows, surprisingly over 100 of them, were flying over the Sai River. I had never seen so many swallows flying in a group. There is a reed bed nearby, so perhaps they have a roost there? Even after giving birth, swallows only stay in the nest for a short time, and they seem to spend the night in groups.
By the way, there were many days with light rain this week. The weather forecast for next week also shows a lot of cloudiness and rain.
In fact, this rainy season is the best time for swallows to build nests. That’s because swallows use mud as the walls when building their nests. This is difficult in dry soil.
An old Japanese book states “When the swallows build their nests, the walls are plastered.” It seems that humans also had the custom of repairing earthen walls during this season, following the swallows’ example.
