Tsukimi – Contemplate the Autumn Full Moon

Tsukimi 月見 (also known as Otsukimi お月見 with honorific) literally means “moon watching” and is a Japanese festival in honor of the autumn moon. This celebration usually takes place towards the end of September or the beginning of October according to the modern solar calendar. Formerly it was celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month.

The custom of Tsukimi is believed to have originated with Japanese aristocrats during the Heian Period who would gather to write and recite waka poetry under a full moon. The members of the aristocratic class of that time would get on small boats to see the reflection of the moon on the surface of the water, since they considered that in this way, the moon looked even more beautiful. By the Edo Period (1603-1868), Tsukimi had become a popular practice even among commoners and was closely associated with autumn festival traditions that included grateful offerings of freshly harvested rice to deities.

Nowadays, it is traditional to gather in a place where the moon can be seen clearly, decorate a small space at home with Susuki herb (one of the 7 autumn herbs), and serve white rice dumplings (known as Tsukimi dango ) edamame, chestnuts and other seasonal foods, as well as sake as an offering to the moon to pray for a bountiful harvest.

This is part of the Japanese culture of admiring nature and the passage of time (as well as in Hanami , which is the contemplation of cherry blossoms), contemplating the development of things and accepting their fragility (the philosophy of Wabi Sabi ) There is even a Unicode emoji for Tsukimi, with pampas grass, dango and the moon 🎑

Decoration in the Tsukimi

The tsukimi dango , small balls of rice dough that, being round, represent the full moon. Their shape is also considered auspicious and eating them is said to bring health and happiness. One tradition is to display 15 dumplings to coincide with the fifteenth night of the eighth month (as it was celebrated in the past) while another tradition proposes 12 dango, one for each of the months.

Susuki , one of the seven herbs of autumn, represent the abundance of rice plants, which they resemble.

Seasonal produce such as edamame, chestnuts and pumpkins during the moon viewing festival are also offered for a good harvest.

Folk tale behind the Tsukimi

In Japan, as in other cultures, it is said that the moon presents the image of a rabbit, although in the case of Japan, it appears by hitting mochi rice cakes with a mallet. This is based on a Buddhist tale that later became well known in Japan. Another theory is that it is a play on the word mochizuki , meaning ” full moon “, which also sounds like the knock word mochi .

And if you want to know this folk tale, read it in Japanese here or listen to it in the next video!