In the middle day of September which is called 仲秋【CHUU-SHUU】,お月見【O-TSUKIMI】Moon Viewing Events are hold in Japan.

At お月見【O-TSUKIMI】The Moon viewing event, people offer すすき【SUSUKI】 pampas grass, お月見団子【O-TSUKIMI DANGO】dumplings and autumn vegetables are dedicated to the moon as a gratitude for crops of fall.

It is on August 15th. in Old Calendar and 2022 is on September 10th.(It changes slightly every year).

A MOON VEWING DAY’S MOON IS CALLED 中秋の名月【CYUUSYUU NO MEIGETSU】”A FINE MOON IN THE MIDDLE OF AUTUMN”

We can see a full moon every months, but autumn’s one is the most beautiful because the air is so clear.

So we have moon watching event in September, the middle of autumn( it’s an old calender’s August 15th. In the ancient Japan, July, August and September was autumn, so old August was the middle of autumn. ※Please check this article about more information about Japanese old calendar.

▶WHAT’S 旧暦【KYUUREKI(OLD CALENDAR)】？
Japanese old lunar calendar is more useful for celebrating seasonal traditional culture events because it’s about 1 month late.

It is said that we offer すすき【SUSUKI】pumpus grasses because their shapes are similar to 稲穂【INAHO】rice ears grasses. It means pre-cerebration of harvest before the season of rice reaping.

お月見団子【OTSUKIMI-DANGO】, Moon viewing dumplings are made and offered to the moon🎑

Because 里芋【SATOｰIMO】or kinds of Taro potato is harvested in this season, so CYUUSYUU moon is also called 芋名月【IMO-MEIGETSU】”Potato Fine Moon”.

In Next month, old September 13th is called Late Moon Viewing＝後の月見【NOCHI NO TSUKIMI】. At that time, little lucking moon is called 栗名月【KURI-MEIGETSU(Chestnut Nice Viewing) 】.

▶ABOUT 後の月見【NOCHI NO TSUKIMI】”Later Moon Viewing” watching Thirteenth night moon which is not perfect circle, little lucking.

WHEN MOON VEWING EVENT HAVE BEEN STARTED IN JAPAN?

In Japan, Watching the moon and dedicate clops has been acted since 縄文【JYOUMON】Era about 1,3000 -2300 years ago.

As a seasonal traditional event’s Moon Viewing, 春秋【SYUN-JYUU】ERA of ancient China is written as descriptions from 7000-8000 years ago.

In Japan, Moon viewing events were hold at royal court among 天皇【TENNOU】EMPEROR and 貴族【KIZOKU】aristcracies in 平安【HEIAN】period(794-1192）.　They enjoyed to play music, exchange poems, floating boat on the pond in the garden and watched the moon.

From 室町【MUROMACHI(1338-1573)】to 江戸【EDO（1600ｰ1867）】ERA, Moon Viewing Event became popular among common people and it became an event to appreciate the harvest of Autumn to the moon.

A STORY OF 「A RABBIT IN THE MOON」

In Japan, why it is said that 「There are rabbits in the moon」?
It is based on the Buddhist discourse Buddha spoke.

Once upon a time, some animals were living with helping each other and an elderly traveler who was hungry and was about to die came there.
A bear picked up the nuts and the fox picked up the fish, but only the rabbit could not find anything to feed him.
Then, the rabbit said “Please burn me and eat it” and jumped into the fire by oneself, then burned to death.

“What a pity thing I did,” the old man said in tears. In fact, the traveler’s old man was the incarnation of 帝釈天【TAISYAKU-TEN】（One of the readers to protect buddhism in one of the heaven called 天【TEN】.) who came to try out the animals.
He raised the rabbit to the moon in heaven. Therefore, it is said that rabbit is still pounding rice cakes for everyone on the moon.

 P.S.It is said that those animals were on the way of 菩薩道【BOSATSU-DOU】；the way to be 菩薩【BOSATSU】.
菩薩【BOSATSU】are persons who already got completed to be 仏陀【BUDDHA】a person or persons who reached an enlightenment and it is called "bodhisattva".

We call our bodhisattvas who have already finished their enlightenment but are born into this world to save others.
Also, when he started to  to be 菩薩【BOSATU】, he was already on the way of  菩薩道【BOSATSU-DOU】bodhisattva road.

A STORY OF お月見どろぼう【OTSUKIMI-DOROBOU】；LITERALLY MEANS ”MOON VEWING BURGLARS”.

On the evening of the moon viewing, there is a custom which is called “Moon-view burglars” .
At that night, children can steal offerings to the moon, like dumplings or vegetables like taro and chestnuts.

It is rale those days though, it is said that children stole them picking by the needles which were attached to the tip of the bamboo rod, and lifted up those offerings.

In addition, there are also areas where children dressed as messengers from the moon with calling out “Please give us the moon viewing” ” We are Moon view Burglars” in loud voices at houses the visit.

It’s like HALLOWEEN in Japan, isn’t it!?

RECOMMENDED MENU ON A DAY OF MOON VIEWING. FOR EXAMPLE…🍳

●Boiled 里芋【SATO-IMO（TARO）】and Autumn vegetables./ After 芋名月【IMO-MEIGETSU（POTATO NICE　MOON)】, boiled 里芋【SATO-IMO】and autumn vegetables.
●Steamed rice with 栗【KURI（CHESTNUT)】./ It's so special rice steamed with 栗【KURI】round and yellow like the moon.
●Boiled and dipped in 出汁【DASHI（STOCK SOUP）】Edible chrysanthemum flower named かきものもと【KAKINOMOTO】./In Niigata prefecture, there is a custom to eat edible chrysanthemum flowers in autumn.
●お吸い物【O-SUIMONO】with an egg of うずら【UZURA（quail）】./　Let's also enjoy moon viewing in a bowl!
●Autumn's FRUITS./ 柿【KAKI（PERSIMON）】and 葡萄【BUDOU（GRAPES）】.

A SMALL ESSAY ABOUT PLANETS：

You might know that the moon is shining brightly because it is reflecting the light of the sun. On solar eclipse nights, we can watch a beautiful golden circle or we cannot see the moon because the sun comes to the same place exactly.
These phenomena are caused because planets; the sun, the moon and the earth which have different sizes and distances are placed to be watched as the same size. It could say that it’s an amazing calculation!

-Once upon a time, an astronomer were discussing with his friend about "How these cosmos, the earth, the moon and the sun are made?". 
An astronomer insisted that "These must be made by someone's will." but the friend said " No way! they are made by chance". 
One day, the astronomer build a large, splendid miniature planets model full of a laboratory and showed it to the friend. So, the friend was so surprised and asked " How did you make it?!"　The astronomer said " I don't know. They are made coincidence unexpectedly." "You are lying. Such an amazing thing should not be made by chance."
Then, the astronomer answered " Yes, exactly. As same as it, this cosmos are not made naturally."