first horse day of the month; traditional Inari shrine festival day
Refers to the first day of the horse in the lunar calendar, especially in the second month. Widely known as the day for visiting Inari shrines and praying for good harvests and business prosperity.
On the first horse day, I go to pray at the local Inari shrine.
This year's first horse day was in early February.
From 初 (first) + 午 (horse, the seventh sign of the Chinese zodiac). The term originates from the traditional lunar calendar, where days were assigned zodiac signs. The association with Inari shrines comes from the belief that the fox deity's messenger, the fox, is connected to the horse day.