noun
Empress's Birthday (pre-WWII)
Historical term for the birthday of the Empress of Japan, especially as celebrated before World War II. Now largely replaced by 天皇誕生日 for the reigning emperor.
戦前は、地久節は国の祝日だった。
Before the war, the Empress's Birthday was a national holiday.
Historical term for the Emperor's birthday before WWII, analogous to 地久節 for the Empress.
From 地久 (everlasting as the earth) + 節 (festival/seasonal event), a name given to the Empress's birthday celebration in the Meiji era, modeled after 天長節 for the Emperor.