The name for August, ‘Hazuki’,
refers to the changing seasons and the falling leaves. August features
the ‘Susuki’ (similar to pampas grass). ‘Tsukimi’, or
moon viewing, is the autumnal counterpart to Cherry blossom viewing. Both Cherry
blossom viewing and moon viewing are often accompanied by the drinking of Sake,
or rice wine. The traditional date for moon viewing is 15 August. In the old
solar-lunar calendar the month started and ended with the new moon. The middle
of the month would be the full moon. However, because the old
calendar started about a month later than our modern calendars, the
actual date is closer to 15 September which is nearer to the autumnal equinox.
The autumn moon is also known as the ‘Harvest moon’ or ‘Hunter’s
moon’. It is usually described as the full moon closest to the autumnal
equinox. That is, the full moon closest to when the day and night are the same
length in the autumn. The full moon usually rises close to when the sun is
setting. When the moon is full the sun and moon are on exactly opposite sides
of the Earth. When the moon is new, the moon is on the same side of the Earth
as the sun, which is why we can't see it at night.
As the year progresses the length of days changes. Days are
longer in the summer and shorter in the winter. In the winter the full moon
rises after the sun has set. In the summer, the full moon rises before the sun
has set. At the equinoxes, the days and nights are exactly the same length.
Consequently, the moon is rising in the east at exactly the same time the sun
is setting in the west.
It is called the ‘Harvest moon’ or ‘Hunter’s moon’ because
people were able to continue working into the night by the light of the full
moon without any gap between the setting sun and the rising moon. You will
notice that the sky of the moon card is red. This is because the moon is rising
at sunset. The card with wild Geese
shows the seasonal migration of birds. In the autumn Geese migrate from Siberia and northern
China to spend the winter in Japan.
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