haikaiTALKS: a saturday gathering! 28th June 2025

haikaiTALKS: Seasonal Words | a saturday gathering under the banyan tree

A Disclaimer

Responsibility for the originality of the haikai rests solely with the submitting poet. 

Should anyone feel it is similar to another haikai, they are encouraged to directly reach out to the concerned poet.

Triveni Haikai India will take action, if any, on the recommendation of the submitting poet.

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host: Srinivasa Sambangi

28th June 2025

haikaiTALKS: a saturday gathering under the banyan tree

Your host for haikaiTALKS: Srinivas Sambangi

INDIAN SAIJIKI

We often refer to the World Kigo Data (WKD) base for the seasonal words. There is a special section in the WKD website on Indian Saijiki which was mostly contributed by Kala Ramesh. 

Unlike many other countries, according to the classical text of Ritusamharam, India has six seasons, each season comprising two months. 

Spring - called Vasant（Basant) - in the months of Chaitra and Vaishakh approximately March and April

Summer – called Grishma –in the months of Jaishthya and Aashadh approximately May and June

Rains – called Varsha - in the months of Shravan and Bhadrapad approximately July and August

Autumn called Sharad - in the months of Aashwin and Kartik approximately September and October

Frost – called Hemant – in the months of Margshishya and Pousha approximately November and December

Winter - called Shishir - in the months of Magh and Phalgun approximately January and February.

This week our focus will be on winter (shishir) kigo. It’s believed, in India it begins with winter solstice which usually occurs on December 21st on 22nd. Prior to this period, it’s Frost (Hemath). Temperatures in winter season widely vary across India. It’s mostly a very comfortable period to live in South India whereas it’s very cold in North India. Some places in North India reach even sub-zero temperatures.

Kigo chosen for this week are:

1. Winter Solstice

   
   

Winter solstice is a very auspicious day in India. It’s the day when the Sun’s run in relation to planet earth will shift from the southern run to the northern run, from Dakshinayana to Uttarayana. The Sun doesn’t move anywhere but on December 21, the Sun is over the Tropic of Capricorn. From that day, if you watch the sunrise and the movement of the Sun, slowly, everyday it will shift to the north. It has an astronomical and cultural significance in India. People celebrate the return of longer days, a triumph of light over darkness. An important festival called Makar Sankranti is celebrated in the first month of Uttarayana.

winter solstice

just enough light

to sharpen the axe

        — Ron C. Moss

the falling tide

tugs at my dream—

winter solstice

         —Corine Timmer

winter solstice

the forest’s empty treetops

filled with stars

         —Maritec Tomislav, Heron’s Nest, Volume XVII, June 2015

she explains

the long and short of it

winter solstice

       —Tom Painting

2. Quilt/blanket

Blankets consist of a single layer of fabric whereas quilts are multi-layered. During summer, Indians barely need any blanket or a quilt unless they sleep in an air-conditioned room. During winter blankets provide sufficient warmth in South India where temperatures are not that low but in most parts of North India quilts are necessary for a comfortable sleep.

small town festival

the quilting champion wins 

an electric blanket

       —Mike Dillon

out for airing

grandpa’s quilt

and grandpa

       —w.f.owen

after so many years

the blanket we still share

       —Kala Ramesh

morning birdsong

the old woman weaves it

into her blanket

        —Frank Higgins

3. Bonfire/campfire/kangri

A campfire is typically a small, contained fire used for warmth, cooking or light. A bonfire is a larger, more open fire used for warmth, celebrations and events. Kangri is a traditional firepot that keeps people warm during the winter months. While firepots are kept below the cots for warmth throughout the winter nights in many parts of India, Kangri is an iconic symbol of Kashmir’s winter. On the first day of Makar Sankranti festival, people lit a large bonfire using old and unused items to signify letting go of the past and welcoming the renewal.

      campfire sparks

      teenagers

      slip away

            —Kelly Sargent, Frogpond, Vol 45:1, Winter 2022

       crackling beach fire

       we hum in place of words

       we can’t recall

               —Michael Dylon Welch, Heron’s Nest 6:11, December 2004

      in the cold fireplace

      my last letter

      burning

              —Michael McNierney, Frogpond 11:4

     bonfire

     the wavering flight

     of a monarch

       —Barbara Strang, After the Cyclone (NZPS Anthology 2017)

Looking forward to seeing your haiku this week with any of the above winter season kigo. While the above kigo is preferred this week, you (especially poets outside India) may choose any other kigo of this season.

Ref:

https://indiasaijikiworlkhaiku.blogspot.com/2006/12/seasonal-words-list.html

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KIGO WORDS

Shall we please try to include a kigo word in all the poems we share here?

Give the season and the word — under your poem. 

I'm quoting Lev Hart's request here: "This week’s goal is to compose two verses with toriawase, blending wabi, sabi, karumi, mono no aware, and/or yugen. Tell us which aesthetic concepts you mean to express in a line below the verse. Strive for originality. Avoid stock phrases and shopworn images."

For seasonal references, please check these lists:

“A Dictionary of Haiku Classified by Season Words with Traditional and Modern Methods,” by Jane Reichhold:

https://thehaikufoundation.org/omeka/files/original/7fb6654a1dfd1afef97369da920530f8.pdf

indian subcontinent SAIJIKI:

https://www.trivenihaikai.in/indian-saijiki

The Five Hundred Essential Japanese Season Words:

http://www.2hweb.net/haikai/renku/500ESWd.html

The World Kigo Database:

https://wkdkigodatabase03.blogspot.com/

The Yuki Teikei Haiku Season Word List:

https://yths.org/season-word-list/

**

Thank you for this post, Srinivas.

I hope our poets take the challenge and create a haiku on these lines! You have been doing so well for the last many months.

Greatly indebted to you.

Dear Members,

Please give your feedback on others' commentary and poems, too. _()_

We are continuing haikaiTALKS grandly!

Keep writing and commenting! _kala