MOON AND FLOWER VIEWING FESTIVALS

FLOWER VIEWING FESTIVAL

From late March to early May, sakura bloom all over Japan. The blossom forecast is announced each year by the weather presenter, and is watched by those planning hanami as the blossoms only last a week or two.

Sakura originally was used as an announcer of the rice-planting season. People believed in kami which exist inside the trees and place offerings at the bottom of the sakura trees. Afterwards, they partook of the offering with sake.

In modern-day Japan, hanami mostly consists of having an outdoor party beneath the sakura during daytime or at night. Hanami at night is called yozakura ("night sakura"). In many places such as Ueno Park temporary paper lanterns are hung for the purpose of yozakura.

MOON VIEWING FESTIVAL

Some foods that are eaten onおつきみ are Tsukimi soba, Tsukimi udon, Tenmado,
taro, edamame, chestnuts and other seasonal foods, sake for offerings to the moon

Tsukimi is the tradition of holding parties to view the harvest moon. Some people gather and read poetry under the full moon of the eighth month known as the "Mid-Autumn Moon." Since ancient times, Japanese people have described the eighth month as the best time for looking at the moon, because the moon appears to be especially bright.

We often say a “man in the moon”, his face formed from the moon’s many craters. The Japanese say they see a rabbit pounding rice cakes when they look at the moon. A Japanese tale says that the moon was once the home of an old man. He went to Earth one day and disguised himself as a poor person to three animals he saw, to choose who was the most kind. He asked them to bring him some food. The monkey and the fox brought back fruit and a fish. But the rabbit couldn’t find any food so he found some firewood to build a fire and offered himself for the old man’s cooking pot. The old man chose him the kindest of all and, as a reward, brought him back to live with him on the moon.

GLOSSARY

• Bento: a box with rice, fish or meat, with pickled or cooked vegetable inside
• Kami: are the spirits worshiped in the religion of Shinto
• Edamame: is a preparation of immature soybeans in the pod with salt
• Tsukimi Soba: is hot noodles with an egg topping, usually eaten during Autumn festivals