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Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on November 16, 2013 at 2:12pm

The full Moon nearest the autumnal equinox (September 22 this year) is called the Harvest Moon. This Moon is not just the full Moon that occurs at the time of the harvest. It is the full Moon that actually helps the harvest by providing more light at the right time than other full Moons do.

In years when the Harvest Moon falls in October, the September full Moon is usually known as the Full Corn Moon because it traditionally corresponds with the time of harvesting corn. It is also called the Barley Moon, because it is the time to harvest and thresh the ripened barley.

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on November 16, 2013 at 2:12pm

The Usual Moon

The usual behavior of the Moon is to rise distinctly later each night -- an average of about 50 minutes later. This is because the Moon's orbital motion (combined with the larger orbit of the Earth around the Sun) carries it farther eastward among the constellations of the zodiac from night to night. At any one moonrise, the Moon occupies a particular place on the celestial sphere (the great dome of the heavens), but when the Earth turns toward that point 24 hours later, the Moon has moved off to the east about 12 degrees, and it takes an average of 50 minutes longer for the Earth to rotate toward the Moon and for the Moon thus to "rise." Think of it as a giant Slinky in which each loop, representing one lunar orbit of the Earth, advances the orbit a bit farther along the spiral path.

The Harvest Moon

But around the date of the Harvest Moon, the Moon rises at almost the same time for a number of nights in our intermediate northern latitudes. Why is the Harvest Moon different? Well, remember that the zodiac is the band of constellations through which the Moon travels from night to night. The section of the zodiac band in which the full Moon travels around the start of autumn is the section that forms the most shallow angle with the eastern horizon.

Because the Moon's orbit on successive nights is more nearly parallel to the horizon at that time, its relationship to the eastern horizon does not change appreciably, and the Earth does not have to turn as far to bring up the Moon. Thus, for several nights near the full Harvest Moon, the Moon may rise as little as 23 minutes later on successive nights (at about 42 degrees north latitude), and there is an abundance of bright moonlight early in the evening, a traditional aid to harvest crews. By the time the Moon has reached last quarter, however, the typical 50-minute delay has returned.

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on November 16, 2013 at 2:12pm

Courtesy of the Farmer's Almanac

By Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth (1903)

Shine on, shine on harvest moon
Up in the sky,
I ain’t had no lovin’
Since January, February, June or July
Snow time ain’t no time to stay
Outdoors and spoon,
So shine on, shine on harvest moon,
For me and my gal.

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on September 28, 2012 at 8:08am

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on September 28, 2012 at 8:04am

~ Harvest Moon Spell ~

The Harvest Moon occurs in late summer or early fall, at or after the autumnal equinox, Sept 29th. Farmers and farm workers in the Northern Hemisphere would take advantage of the additional hours of light and work through the night in order to complete the harvest.

An old Celtic harvest Moon ritual was to gather a key, a ring, a flower, a sprig of willow, a small piece of

cake, a crust of bread, and 4 cards (the 10 of clubs, 9 of hearts, ace of spades, and ace of diamonds). Wrap these items in a handkerchief and place it under your pillow.

As you lay in your bed, say:

"Luna, luna, every girl's friend,
to me your clarity you will lend.
Let me this night in visions see,
Emblems of my destiny."

If you dream of storms, it means coming trouble
if the storms end, a calm fate after strife.
a ring or the ace of diamonds = marriage
bread = a good job
cake= prosperity
flowers = joy
willow = treachery in love
spades = death
clubs, = living in a foreign land
diamonds = money
keys = great power
birds = many children
geese = more than one marriage.

~ Leandra

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on September 27, 2012 at 1:49pm

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on September 27, 2012 at 1:49pm

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on September 27, 2012 at 1:48pm

Mooncake Recipes:
Mooncake - A basic recipe using red azuki beans from my recipe file.
Video: How to Make Mooncakes

Mid-Autumn Mooncake Recipe - A good basic recipe, using lotus seed paste and walnuts, from Yan Can Cook, Inc.

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on September 27, 2012 at 1:48pm

How to Celebrate the Moon Festival

Today, Chinese people celebrate the Mid-Autumn festival with dances, feasting and moon gazing. Not to mention mooncakes. While baked goods are a common feature at most Chinese celebrations, mooncakes are inextricably linked with the Moon festival. One type of traditional mooncake is filled with lotus seed paste (see side photo). Roughly the size of a human palm, these mooncakes are quite filling, meant to be cut diagonally in quarters and passed around. This explains their rather steep price (around $5.00 in Canada). A word of caution: the salty yolk in the middle, representing the full moon, is an acquired taste.

More elaborate versions of mooncakes contain four egg yolks (representing the four phases of the moon). Besides lotus seed paste, other traditional fillings include red bean paste and black bean paste. Unfortunately for dieters, mooncakes are rather high in calories.

While in the past mooncakes took up to four weeks to make, automation has speeded up the process considerably. Today, mooncakes may be filled with everything from dates, nuts, and fruit to Chinese sausages. More exotic creations include green tea mooncakes, and ping pei or snowskin mooncakes, a Southeast Asian variation made with cooked glutinous rice flour. Haagen-Daz has even gotten into the act by introducing a line of ice cream mooncakes in Asian markets.

Given the difficulty of making them, most people prefer to purchase their mooncakes instead of making them. You'll find them at Asian bakeries beginning around mid-August. Meanwhile, for those with a culinary bent, here are several recipes.

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on September 27, 2012 at 1:48pm

The Moon festival (also called the Mooncake or Mid-Autumn festival) falls on September 30th in 2012. What is the Moon festival? Every year on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, when the moon is at its maximum brightness for the entire year, the Chinese celebrate "zhong qiu jie." Children are told the story of the moon fairy living in a crystal palace, who comes out to dance on the moon's shadowed surface. The legend surrounding the "lady living in the moon" dates back to ancient times, to a day when ten suns appeared at once in the sky. The Emperor ordered a famous archer to shoot down the nine extra suns. Once the task was accomplished, Goddess of Western Heaven rewarded the archer with a pill that would make him immortal. However, his wife found the pill, took it, and was banished to the moon as a result. Legend says that her beauty is greatest on the day of the Moon festival.

Other Moon Festival Legends
According to another legend, on this day the "Man in the Moon" was spotted at an inn, carrying a writing tablet. When questioned, he said he was recording the names of all the happy couples who were fated to marry and live happily forever after. Accordingly, just as June is the traditional month for exchanging nuptials in the west, many Chinese weddings are held during the eighth lunar month, with the fifteenth day being the most popular.

Of course, the most famous legend surrounding the Moon festival concerns its possible role in Chinese history. Overrun by the Mongols in the thirteenth century, the Chinese threw off their oppressors in 1368 AD. It is said that mooncakes - which the Mongols did not eat - were the perfect vehicle for hiding and passing along plans for the rebellion. Families were instructed not to eat the mooncakes until the day of the moon festival, which is when the rebellion took place. (In another version plans were passed along in mooncakes over several years of Mid-Autumn festivals, but the basic idea is the same).

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