Inspired by the moon, Eleanor writes one of her rare blog postings:
Today is the zenith of the Harvest Moon. I have always been intrigued with the moon. I have the date & time of each full & new moon recorded on my lap-top calendar. The Harvest Moon is extra special. Since pre-history, Cultures all over the world celebrate it through dances, songs, special foods, prayers, and offerings. I thought I would do some internet searches to find out more about it, and do some celebrating of my own this year.
One of the things I learned was that for the Chinese mid-autumn moon festival, it is women who honor this holiday. I read:
“On the full moon of the eighth Chinese lunar month, women celebrate the Moon. This is the beginning of the yin part of the year, when the dark takes precedence over the light, and the Moon is the symbol of yin energy, which also includes water, women and night. In the old Chinese agrarian system, autumn and winter were the women’s seasons.”
(for more info, go to http://www.schooloftheseasons.com/midaut.html)
I thought it would be fun for Emma and I to do our own small celebration.
This morning we made full moon cakes.
We are only eating things that are round today.
We’ll watch the moon rise.
Tonight we will play a game called “Capturing the Moon,” where we will try to catch our reflection in a bowl of water.
It’s not much, but it’s fun and it gives us a little more insight & understanding into something that is greatly celebrated.
September 15th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Links to additional information and music to celebrate this occasion are near the end of my Airstream Life Online Community article, “End of summer dreams”
http://airstreamlife.com/historysafariexpress/2008/09/14/end-of-summer-dreams/
Happy Harvest Moon Festival, Rich, Eleanor, and Emma!
The sky is clear in San Diego tonight and we’ll be with you in spirit as we gaze at the full moon. Hope you catch your reflections!
Bill and Larry
September 16th, 2008 at 7:38 am
Dear Eleanor and Emma,
when trying to catch the moon, I advice you to listen, one of my favorite music album… * the dark side of the moon * (Pink Floyd)…
Best wishes from sunny France
leïla & bruno
September 16th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Eleanor and Emma,
A job most well met. I am embarrassed to say that I have never made moon cakes before. The heavy crust and filling of traditional moon cakes are a bit too rich for me. After doing some research for alternatives, I learned that contemporary ones can be made of gelatin, cookie dough, and ice cream covered with a layer of mochi. Trader Joe’s has mochi ice cream, shaped like bon bons. Pressing your raw rolled creations into a mold and knocking them out would shape and imprint them. I like the elegant simplicity of your treats. Moon cakes are available throughout the year in oriental food stores. Some come with a flaky outer crust. Sounds like you all had a good festival celebrating family and friends. Did Emma display a lantern?
Larry Ko
September 16th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
These harvest moons are among my very favorites of the year…they are so big and gold out here. The other night after picking up dinner and driving to the Airstream, I told Rich it was like driving into the moon…it was so big and beautiful, and it looked so very close.
September 20th, 2008 at 8:28 am
‘Course if we were with you there might be moonshine and Neil Young’s Harvest Moon playing on the ipod.
Great to read your post. We look forward to more.
See you soon,
Adam and Susan