When traveling in Japan in September, you will see many pictures and decoration of rabbits, the moon, dango (dumplings), and silver grass.
These are the typical symbols of Japanese Mid-Autumn Festival or Moon Festival.
Actually many of Japanese people don’t really hold a festival for this event nowadays but have a custom to eat the dumplings and sometimes have silver grass at home, and enjoy viewing moon in the night of the full moon.
Why viewing the moon in September ?
The night when the full moon appears onthe 15th day of the new moon is called “Jugoya,” and the most beautiful moon of the year is called “Mid-Autumn Moon”.
The name “Mid-Autumn” refers to the eighth month of the lunar calendar, and was derived from the fact that July was called “early autumn,” August “mid-autumn,” and September “late autumn.
In the new calendar, it falls between September 7 and October 8.
The custom of moon viewing was originated in China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) and was introduced to Japan during the Heian Period (794-1185).
Rabbit and the moon
In Asia, there is a belief that there is a rabbit living on the moon.
The origin of the moon rabbit is a story from the Jataka myth, an Indian Buddhist sermon, and the story came to Japan and and became folk tales in various regions.
Once upon a time, a rabbit, a fox, and a monkey lived together in India.
One day, an old man came to the three animals and asked them for some food, as he was poor and had no relatives. The monkey brought fruits and nuts, and the fox brought fish.
The rabbit, however, couldn’t find anything for the old man to eat, even though he searched hard all over the mountain.
The rabbit asked the monkey and fox to make a fire so that he could cook something he would bring.
The monkey and the fox built a fire, and suddenly the rabbit jumped into the fire to let the man eat itself and died.
The old man, who was actually an incarnation of Taishakuten (Indra; the king of heaven in Hindu mythology), returned to his original form and projected the image of the rabbit in the moon to show his benevolent behavior to all living creatures.
Dumplings and silver grass
It is believed that the dumplings at moon viewing originated from the offering of rice dumplings to pray for the upcoming harvest, and that silver grass is offered as a substitute for ears of rice.
The Jugoya culture also spread to the general people as a festival to give thanks for the autumn harvest.
Silver grass was believed to ward off evil spirits, and it was said that hanging the offered silver grass on the eaves of houses would keep people free from illness for a year.
The shape of dumplings differs between the Kansai (Osaka/Kyoto and around) and Kanto (Tokyo and around) regions.
In the Kanto region, the dumplings are round, as often seen in illustrations, while in the Kansai region, the traditional style is a long, thin dumpling with anko (sweet bean paste) wrapped around it in a taro shape.
In fact, offerings for the Mid-Autumn Moon used to be taro, not dumplings.
As a remnant of this tradition, people in the Kansai region eat dumplings that resemble taro.
If you are traveling in Japan during this season, you should definitely try the dumpling and feel the season and the culture, as well as look up at the beautiful moon in the night !
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