Festive occasions are celebrated as a mark of respect we give to Mother Nature who has blessed us with her bountiful blessings. Each blessings of her has a story, an occasion, a festival or a happy moment where we rejoice for what nature has done to us...... and one such story is...............

Tsukimi Moon Viewing Festival
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Origin:
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In the Orient there is a custom of appreciating the moon; in Japan. On the night of August 15 by the lunar calendar, the full moon is appreciated. This custom is called O-tsukimi in Japanese. It originated from farmers' religious observances ensuring a good harvest. This year the festival falls on September 14th 2008.

History:
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The Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional festivity for both the Han and minority nationalities. The custom of worshipping the moon (called xi yue in Chinese) can be traced back as far as the ancient Xia and Shang Dynasties (2000 B.C.-1066 B.C.). In the Zhou Dynasty(1066 B.C.-221 B.C.), people hold ceremonies to greet winter and worship the moon whenever the Mid-Autumn Festival sets in. It becomes very prevalent in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) that people enjoy and worship the full moon. In the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279 A.D.). Since the Ming (1368-1644 A.D. ) and Qing Dynasties (1644-1911A.D.), the custom of Mid-Autumn Festival celebration becomes unprecedented popular.

Celebration of Tsukimi:
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Traditionally, susuki (pampas grass) or other autumn flowers are decorated in a vase, and dango (dumplings) and satoimo (taro potatoes) are offered to the moon in an alter. People look at the moon, enjoying the beauty quietly. Tsukimi also has the meaning of celebrating the autumn harvest.

 Together with the celebration there appear some special customs in different parts of the country, such as eating moon cakes outside under the moon, burning incense, planting Mid-Autumn trees, putting pomelo rinds on one's head, carrying brightly lit lanterns, collecting dandelion leaves and distributing them evenly among family members, lighting lanterns on towers and fire dragon dances. However, the custom of playing under the moon is not so popular as it used to be nowadays, but it is not less popular to enjoy the bright silver moon. Whenever the festival sets in, people will look up at the full silver moon, drinking wine to celebrate their happy life or thinking of their relatives and friends far from home, and extending all of their best wishes to them.

Legends of the Moon Festival:
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There are many beautiful legends about the moon in China. the most popular one tells how a goddess named Chang'e ascended to the moon.

Legend of Chang E
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Chang E and her husband Hou Yi, the miraculous archer, lived during the reign of the legendary Emperor Yao (about 2000 B.C.). Hou Yi was a member of the ImperialGuard, wielding a magic bow and shooting magic arrows.

One day ten suns appeared in the sky. Unbearable heat and drought continued for years with no end in sight. The emperor called upon Hou Yi to shoot the extra suns to bring relief to the people. Using all of his skills, Hou Yi knocked down nine of the suns, leaving one in the sky.

 Afterwards, Hou Yi's fame spread to as far as the Queen Mother of the West (Xi Wang Mu) in the faraway Kunlun Mountains. She summoned him before her at her fairy palace and offered to reward him with the pill of immortality, first warning him: "You must not eat the pill immediately. First prepare yourself through prayer and fasting for twelve months." Being a careful man, he took her advice and set about preparing himself, first hiding the pill in his house. Unfortunately he was called away on an urgent mission, and in his absence, his wife Chang E discovered the pill and promptly swallowed it. She soon discovered that she could fly. Soon after she heard her husband returning and flew out the window in terror. Bow and arrow in hand, Hou Yi pursued her across half the sky, but a strong wind drove him back.

Chang E, in her fear, flew all the way to the moon, where she panted so hard from her exertions that she spit out the pill casing which instantly turned into a jade rabbit, while she herself transformed into a three-legged toad.

Since then, she has lived on the moon and continues to fend off the magic arrows from Hou Yi who now lives in a palace on the sun. On the fifteenth of each month they see each other. Chang E and Hou Yi, respectively symbolizing the sun and the moon, have come to be regarded as embodying the yin and yang , the negative and positive, dark and light, feminine and masculine, and the duality which governs the universe.

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.

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. On the night of the Moon Festival, the rebels successfully attacked and overthrew the government and thus the MIng Dynasty was established. Henceforth, the Mid-Autumn Festival was celebrated with moon cakes on a national level.

Traditional Tsukimi recipes made in Japan:
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1) Kushidango Recipe - Japanese Sweet Recipe
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Ingredients:

    * 1 1/3 cup joshinko (rice flour in japanese)
    * 3/4 cup warm water

For Sauce:

    * 2/3 cup water
    * 1/2 cup sugar
    * 2 1/2 tbsps soy sauce
    * 1 1/2 tbsp katakuriko (potato starch) or cornstarch
    * 1 1/2tbsp water
    * *Bamboo skewers

Preparation:

Put rice flour in a bowl and add warm water. Knead the dough well. Make small round dumplings. Place the dumplings in a steamer and steam them on high heat for 10 min. Cool the dumplings and skewer them in bamboo sticks. (3-4 dumplings each stick.) Mix water, sugar, and soysauce in a pan and put it on medium heat. Mix the water and katakuriko starch in a cup and set aside. When the sauce boils, add the starch mixture and mix quickly. Slightly grill the skewered dumplings and brush the sauce over them.

Ideally serves for 4 people

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2) Tsukimi Soba Recipe
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Tsukimi soba is hot buckwheat noodles with a raw egg topping. Since the egg resembles the full moon, these kinds of noodle dishes with egg toppings are called "tsukimi."

Ingredients:

    * 14 oz. dried soba (buckwheat noodles)
    * 6 cups dashi soup (a japanese vegetarian stock made from dried kelp)
    * 1/3 cup soy sauce
    * 2 Tbsps mirin (essential condiment used in Japanese cuisine similar to wine)
    * 1/2 tsp salt
    * 4 eggs
    * 2 Tbsps finely chopped negi or green onion

Preparation:

Heat dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and salt in a large pot to make soup. Boil soba noodles in another pot, according to the cooking instructions and when done serve the soba noodles into four bowls. Pour hot soup over soba noodles. Crack an egg on top of the noodles in each bowl. Sprinkle negi on top of noodles.

Makes 4 servings

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Mooncake recipe
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Ingredients:

1 can of lotus seed paste
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

For the dough:

4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2-cup non-fat dried milk powder
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup solid shortening, melted and cooled
1 egg yolk , lightly beaten

Preparation:

Mix lotus seed paste and walnuts together in a bowl; set aside.

Sift flour, milk powder, baking powder, and salt together into a bowl. In large bowl of electric mixer, beat eggs on medium speed until light and lemon colored. Add sugar; beat for 10 minutes or until mixture falls in a thick ribbon. Add melted shortening; mix lightly. With a spatula, fold in flour mixture. Turn dough out on a lightly floured board; knead for 1 minute or until smooth and satiny. Divide dough in half; roll each half into a log. Cut each log into 12 equal pieces.

To shape each moon cake, roll a piece of dough into a ball. Roll out on a lightly floured board to make a 4-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick. Place 1 tablespoon of lotus seed paste mixture in center of dough circle. Fold in sides of dough to completely enclose filling; press edges to seal. Lightly flour inside of moon cake press with 2-1/2 inch diameter cups. Place moon cake, seam side up, in mold; flatten dough to conform to shape of mold. Bang one end of mold lightly on work surface to dislodge moon cake. Place cake on ungreased baking sheet. Repeat to shape remaining cakes. Brush tops with egg yolk.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree F. oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow it to cool and your moon cake is ready to eat.

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 Dear Friends,