Tsukimi Festival
A little while ago, I was invited by my school's tea ceremony club, or sadou club, to participate in the Tsukimi tea ceremony at Keihi Shrine. Wait. Let's back up. From the beginning, what the hell is Tsukimi?
Tsukimi can be a lot of things, but they all refer to a full moon. In this case "Tsukimi (full moon) Matsuri (Festival)" is a quiet holiday normally in September or October which is celebrated by observing the moon. The Japanese believe that on the day of the Tsukimi Festival, the moon is the largest and brightest out of the whole year. Japanese typically celebrate by setting out "tsukimi dangou", or "moon dumplings". Beside these, they sit a palm or some type of grass to symbolize the fall harvest.
Tsukimi imagry is often of the moon dumplings and the grasses in a vase. However, a rabbit is also a prevalent symbol. This is because while westerners see "the man in the moon", the Japanese and other Asian cultures see "the moon rabbit". The moon rabbit is a formation of craters in the moon, which to the Japanese looks like a rabbit, pounding mochi (mochi is the material the moon dumplings are made of). The moon rabbit is prevalent in Japanese folklore, so it is common to see it on fabric prints and other household items (just another reason why things here are so cute)!
Another use of the word "tsukimi" is in cooking. Something is described as "tsukimi" style when it has a sunny side up egg on top of it. It is named this because the egg yolk resembles the full moon! Probably one of the most famous examples of this is McDonald's "Tsukimi Burger"! The Tsukimi Burger is a seasonal item available for only around one month and is a burger with....you guessed it....a sunny side up egg on top. Looks yummy, but I don't think I could tame it!
The Tsukimi Burger!
Now that the lesson is over (whew!)
On the night of Tsukimi Matsuri I went to the large shrine in my city to have tea and sweets at a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. It was very beautiful. I did not take any photos, but here are some I found online that demonstrate what it was like:
It was really a wonderful night, and I was so happy to experience it. More than anything it was peaceful...and with things always being so hectic it was wonderful to sit back, relax and enjoy the full moon. :)
Tsukimi can be a lot of things, but they all refer to a full moon. In this case "Tsukimi (full moon) Matsuri (Festival)" is a quiet holiday normally in September or October which is celebrated by observing the moon. The Japanese believe that on the day of the Tsukimi Festival, the moon is the largest and brightest out of the whole year. Japanese typically celebrate by setting out "tsukimi dangou", or "moon dumplings". Beside these, they sit a palm or some type of grass to symbolize the fall harvest.
Tsukimi imagry is often of the moon dumplings and the grasses in a vase. However, a rabbit is also a prevalent symbol. This is because while westerners see "the man in the moon", the Japanese and other Asian cultures see "the moon rabbit". The moon rabbit is a formation of craters in the moon, which to the Japanese looks like a rabbit, pounding mochi (mochi is the material the moon dumplings are made of). The moon rabbit is prevalent in Japanese folklore, so it is common to see it on fabric prints and other household items (just another reason why things here are so cute)!
Another use of the word "tsukimi" is in cooking. Something is described as "tsukimi" style when it has a sunny side up egg on top of it. It is named this because the egg yolk resembles the full moon! Probably one of the most famous examples of this is McDonald's "Tsukimi Burger"! The Tsukimi Burger is a seasonal item available for only around one month and is a burger with....you guessed it....a sunny side up egg on top. Looks yummy, but I don't think I could tame it!
Click to viewThe Tsukimi Burger!
Now that the lesson is over (whew!)
On the night of Tsukimi Matsuri I went to the large shrine in my city to have tea and sweets at a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. It was very beautiful. I did not take any photos, but here are some I found online that demonstrate what it was like:
It was really a wonderful night, and I was so happy to experience it. More than anything it was peaceful...and with things always being so hectic it was wonderful to sit back, relax and enjoy the full moon. :)