The full moon

When you look up the moon, what do you see on the surface ?

Almost all the Japanese of all ages never fail to answer, "The rabbit pounding the sticky rice".

What do we see seems to be different from place to place, or in other words, in accordance with cultural backgrounds.

I read that in southern Europe, people see a big crab, in eastern Europe they see a woman, in Indonesia a woman who is knitting ,in German a man carrying firewood and many other objects in different areas and countries. What I read in the book is true, I wonder?

Anyway, how interesting because it tells that people in the world from the ancient ara to the modern ages have been keeping their special sentiments towards the moon for centuries and have been enjoying viewing the moon.

So in Japan too, we have the Moon Viewing Festival in Autumn.

At very olden days, people of the aristocratic class used to enjoy exchanging poems in the moonlight under the full moon which reflected the garden pond. Gradually the way of enjoying the full moon festival was modified among the ordinary people by offering some seasonal foods decorated in each house to pray for a bountiful harvests.

We still keep this custom and enjoy the autumn full moon in various ways. Families enjoy the special offerings and foods at home, some people enjoy the full moon at the observation floor of the high buildings , some attend the outdoor concerts under the full moon-----etc.

By the way, the moonlight is bright enough to throw shadows all over on the ground.