Harvest Moon/Moon Festival

Harvest Moon September 16, 2016, Nikon D7100 and 70-300 mm lens.

In spite of the fact that most people know very little about astronomy, events in the sky fascinate people.  This is true today, just as it was in ancient times.

In the United States, there was a burst of talk this week about the Harvest Moon, which is the full moon closest to the Autumnal Equinox. Most people don't know what the Autumnal Equinox is, but I know many people who made it a point to take a look at the rising moon.  This full moon is remembered from non-mechanized times as illuminating the fields for farmers as they worked late into the night to complete their harvest before the snows came.

My friends in Asia, simultaneously, are celebrating the Moon Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival and by other names.  It honors the full moon as a symbol of peace, prosperity, and family reunion, and it is held in hopes for a bountiful harvest.

It is interesting to me that most people have never experienced the full impact of a full moon, because of the preponderance of artificial light in our world.  If you get away from artificial light and give your eyes time to become dark adapted, the full moon provides plenty of light to do what you want outside.

I find the similarities in Eastern and Western moon traditions to be very interesting.

To the ancients of the West, the Moon was a god/goddess. After the advent of Christianity, the Moon became a thing, but one that was very important to the cycles of life, and thus deserving of attention and study.

Eastern tradition is far different. All things possess a spirit (Chi), some weak but some very powerful. The Moon is a source of great spiritual power, as evidenced by the influence it has on many things, including the oceans and the crops.  It is not surprising, therefore, that the people would want to communicate with this spirit and seek its support in their lives.

Regardless of motivation, the full moons of Autumn always attract attention and interest.