Times of moonrise, transit and moonset

I just found an interesting resource for the "Times of moonrise, transit and moonset during the Mid-Autumn festival period". The Hong Kong observatory has almanac pages set up for 2006, 2007, and 2008. To see last year's times, see http://www.hko.gov.hk/gts/astron2006/mid-aut_e.htm

2006 Mid-Autumn Festival photos

For Singapore (at least I think it is 2006), see: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mid-Autumn_Festival_in_Singapore

Importance of harvesting corn

Today's National Geographic photo of the day was shot on assignment for, but not published in "A Chinese Emperor's Army for Eternity," August 1992, National Geographic magazine.

Not the only "one a day" website that has photographs of China once in a while.

I also like these shots of the Great Wall of China and the Inner Gorge from Earth Science Picture of the Day but China pictures are rare there.

Mid-Autumn Festival cards

(Next year we can remember to actually send them.)

This for all of those who, like me, had a cloudy sky last night and could not see the full moon:
http://www.123greetings.com/events/moon_festival_taiwan/moon4.html

Tonight's Full Moon 12 Percent Bigger

While the moon is always round and beautiful on 8/15 (lunar), about 50% of the time, the full moon is actually on another day. This year the full moon is on the day: October 6th at 11:13 p.m. EDT in the USA. The native American name is the "Full Harvet Moon". According to Robert Roy Britt, space.com's Senior Science Writer, Tonight's Full Moon is 12 Percent Bigger.

Consider making it a special night with a family dinner. Let the children out to see it - it's not a school night this year. This full moon really does seem brighter than any other to me.

And if you want to involve the school, read on for ideas. Or share what you have done.

For more about the moon, you may want to look at Wikipedia, including their piece on Full Moons or at Imaginova's Space site including the Skywatcher's Guide to the Moon and Top 10 Cool Moon Facts. (My favorites are 1, 5 and 9.) Read the Farmers' Almanac for more on Native American Moon Names.

Guzheng music - Midnight Autumn Song

Sound of China Guzheng Music Promotion Center (chinesezither.net) has lots of information and guzheng (Chinese zither) music. Just visit the site, or scroll down on their homepage and "click" on Midnight Autumn Song to hear. Connie says it is "a beautiful, traditional Chinese song played by Carol Chang on the guzheng." Different songs are probably highlighted during the year.

This site is dedicated to promoting Guzheng and spreading Chinese music. Learn more about the gu zheng, or buy CDs, DVDs, and textbooks on their page. While there are zither masters, you can learn to play a song on the gu zheng in one afternoon.

Thanks to Connie from FCC for this one!

Classical Chinese poems about autumn

Quite a bit of work went organizing these classical Chinese poems on autumn, mostly from the Tang dynasty. When you sleect a poem, the Chinese (traditional or simplifed characters, your choice), pinyin, and an English translation all appear. From the Chinese-poems.com homepage, you can also learn more about the authors and search other peoms they have collected.

From their home page "Li Bai (李白)[701- 762] is the most popular Chinese poet, with a distinctively Romantic style." This is their translation of Autumn Air.

Autumn Air by Li Bai

The autumn air is clear,
The autumn moon is bright.
Fallen leaves gather and scatter,
The jackdaw perches and starts anew.
We think of each other- when will we meet?
This hour, this night, my feelings are hard.

I don't know who translated this, my favorite Autumn Moon poem.

The Mid-Autumn Moon by Li Qiao

A full moon hangs high in the chilly sky,
All say it's the same everywhere, round and bright.
But how can one be sure thousands of li away
Wind and perhaps rain may not be marring the night?

Autumn Moon is Teacher's Day in Taiwan

Somehow tomorrow we are also stopping in at my daughter's "old" school to drop off some mooncakes, and we will be leaving something on my Chinese tutor's door as well.

Huang Lao-shi is responsible for any good in my Mandarin. (In more ways than one. She only taught 'nice' words and I never learned how to say anything like "bad", "dirty", or "rude".) The mistakes are my own. Perhaps she is also the reason that my daughter has such lovely tones, although she was never formally her teacher. We certainly believe that my daughter did not learn her tones from this household.

Food, glorious food

Mooncakes, of course.

Round like the moon foods, including pomelos.

To drink, tea or wine for the adults.

Modern festive "bonfire"

I have not tried this myself, yet, but some youngsters think they have found a fun, modern replacement for an older, dangerous Hong Kong tradition - a Coke and mentos geyser. If you have not heard of a mentos eruption you might not know what to do with a 2 liter bottle of (preferrably diet) Coke and an uncloated Mentos. If you want to sneak in some science, the best description I know is from the TV show Mythbusters. Some young friend Sean recommends you not think about trying this combination in your mouth.

Consider joining in the first annual year of this and your "older chlidren" might find the festival cool again.

From the MidAutum Splash Off website - "In a deeper cultural context, for the longest time, teenagers and young adults, classmates, good friends and families in Hong Kong used to celebrate Mid Autumn with festive bonfire, a much endeared tradition that filled our childhood with sweet memories. The festive bonfires are quite uniquely made by melting a hot pot of candles outdoor, bring the wax to boiling point, then create a 3 to 6 foot tall fire pole by splashing water on top of the wax. For public safety reasons, following one incident of severe burn, the festive bonfire has been banned since 2002.

Many of us bonfire enthusiasts would love to bring an activity of spilling something high in the sky, something that highlights the climaxes of the festival (instead of continual moon observing), an interesting excuse to gather the loved ones, while doing it safe! A group of youngers, after watching the Coke/Mentos video online, felt it to be a perfectly fitting replacement we've been searching for years. "

They plan to update Wikipedia on this too.

Autumn Mooncakes

Mooncakes have a long history of their own. They started as honey cakes in the 3^rd century BC. Now there are many kinds, and their shapes and fillings are seemingly endless. However, there are two or three main types of mooncakes. The classic mooncake is made in a mold, contains egg, and has a golden or dark crust. (Some now call them Cantonese style.) Based on ancient literary works, they evolved into their current form between the 6^th and 11^th centuries. There is a character or design on the top. The inside can be a paste, fruit-cakey or even have meat in it. Perhaps lotus-seed paste was the original but now, due to cost, red bean paste seems to be more common. Shanghai-style mooncakes have a flaky crust (that can still be hard to bite) and usually fewer ingredients. Traditionally the yolk was duck, but now it may be chicken or duck. Vegan mooncakes, even vegan, peanut and nut-free mooncakes, are available. Most Shanghai-style mooncakes fit in this category. Mooncakes are often packed 4 or 8 to a box and each should fit in the palm of your hand. The ~4 inch diameter ones can be cut into 8 pieces for distribution at school. They are very rich and not everyone will like them.

Most of the traditional recipes use lard or peanut oil and take days to complete, as the steps include resting the dough 5 hours or draining the bean paste filling overnight. You can also buy mooncakes from many Asian grocery stores, or mail order, probably at least 2 weeks in advance. Many stores only mail mooncake orders once a week.

For more on mooncakes, also look at Wikipedia's article.

RECIPES
There are two different kid-approved recipes here, adapted to do done in an afternoon, instead of five days. Jennifer's is closer to the traditional. If you want to make a moon-ish cookie which is safer for the youngest and more likely to work with children with allergies, try this egg-free and dairy-free cookie recipe that should satisfy any schools anti-allergy policies. It is similar to German “thumbprint” cookies. I recommend always checking for allergies before offering any food to children.

Jennifer's Autumn Moon Cake recipe

Jennifer adapted this to be kid approved and not too time consuming. However, it does include dairy products (and coconut) so it might not work in all schools due to allergy concerns. At least the dough is similar to the recipe on Yan Can Cook. Or, go to the egg-free, dairy-free recipe if you need it.

Autumn Moon Cakes
Crust
4 c all purpose flour
3/4 c dried milk powder (whiz in Cuisinart to fine powder if lumpy)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3 eggs
1 1/4 c sugar
3/4 c unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temp
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Filling
1 12 oz jar apricot preserves
1 c chopped pitted dates
1 c flaked sweetened coconut
3/4 c raisins

Glaze, whisk together
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. water

1. Sift flour, milk powder, baking powder, salt, set aside. Break eggs in large mixing bowl, add sugar and beat until mixture "ribbons" off the beaters, approx. 5 mins. Add melted butter, vanilla and dry ingredients to egg mixture. Mix to rough dough, turn out on lightly floured surface and knead briefly to smooth dough. Form dough into long roll and cut into 20 pieces.

2. Mix ingredients for filling (I found that this filling was more than enough and used what was left over for muffins)

3. Preheat to 375. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets or use silpat or parchment. Press 1 dough piece into a 3-4 inch circle making edges thinner and center thicker. Spoon a portion of filling into the center, about a Tbsp. Gather up edges of dough to enclose filling and pinch edges together to seal. Roll cake in a ball, flatten to a 3 in. round and press into a lightly floured moon cake mold (or a simple round cookie cutter).

You will need to refrigerate the dough and then refrigerate the formed cakes to hold any design from a moon cake mold. I used some decorative copper molds, but if the design isn’t deeply incised, it will not hold. This is the most time consuming part of the recipe - I don't preheat until I've made half the cakes.

4. Arrange cakes about 1 inch apart on baking sheet. Brush surface of cakes with egg/water glaze. You could also paint a design with red vegetable food coloring if you don’t over do the egg wash. Bake for 20 minutes ...maybe even 18 mins. until golden brown.

5. Variations – use chopped ginger to replace ¼ cup raisins and ginger puree to replace apricot preserves. Not traditional but really yummy and spicy.

6. If you hate coconut, replace with nuts, finely chopped but not ground.

Thanks Jennifer!

Story and handout

A colorfully illustrated story of the Autumn Moon Festival can be yours to use with your family or or at school.

The 8 page pdf file with lots of pictures is based on the good work of Terry Garlock, who gave me permission to revise and make my own version. I also have a two page (or 2 sides on one page) handout that can be used for educational purposes if you are interested.

Just email me for a copy at mus-mandarin@wubison.com and I will email you the .pdf files.

Need a Lunar Calendar?

I have a pdf file that you can print showing the months of the year and how the phases of the moon line up with it.

Just email mus-mandarin@wubison.com and let me know if you need one.

Almost a week away. . .

I can not believe that Mid-Autumn Festival is just a bit over one week away. This year 8/15 (lunar) falls on October 6, 2006. Are you ready? Our house is not . . . yet.

Staten Island Botanical Gardens Autumn Moon Festival

Staten Island Botanical Gardens Autumn Moon Festival,
September 9th, 6:30-9 pm
NY Chinese Scholar’s Garden

Chinese Theatre Works, Taiko drums, calligraphy, paper cuts, mooncakes, jasmine tea, and traditional Chinese food. Admission: $8 adults, $5 children 12 and under. Staten Island Botanical Garden 1000 Richmond Terrace Staten Island, NY 10301 718-273-8200 x 1007 sibgmarketing@aol.com  

You can order Moon cakes now from Chinasprout

Chinasprout has already started shipping mooncakes for this yeseason.

Moon Cakes  from ChinaSprout
http://www.chinasprout.com/shop/F001

Chinese Mid-Autumn Moon Festival will be on October 6, 2006 and many families plan to celebrate this traditional Chinese holiday with their families and friends just like Chinese do. To help families enjoy this traditional way of celebration – eating moon cakes while looking at the full moon-ChinaSprout offers FRESHLY baked mooncakes from a premium New York Chinatown baker. Our moon cakes come in four different flavors, packaged in a very unique collectable tin.

Choose from the following flavors:

Red bean paste (sweet)
White lotus paste with egg yolk (sweet)
Mixed nuts (sweet)
Mixed nuts and ham (sweet/salty)

Each order includes four moon cakes. Please specify your preference of flavors in any combination when you order in the ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS. If you don't specify your preference, we will offer you one cake each flavor. Moon cakes can be kept two months without refrigeration.

4 Pieces
Our Price: US$19.95

Please note that they will ship your moon cakes orders ONLY on following dates: September 1, 8, 15, 22, 29.  

Chinese Culture Festival in NYC mid September

I am not a member - just passing on the information -
China Institute co-sponsors a major Chinese Cultural Festival organized by the Asian Culture Center. The festival is a month long event starting in mid-September.

In addition to many exciting exhibits, the festival will provide numerous lectures and movies.  The festival will feature two main events, the first of which will be a theatrical performance by the Kunming Theatrical Company at the Tribeca Performing Art Center on September 15th at 8:00 p.m.

Two ticket options are currently on sale for the NY performance at mezzanine level, section 3 @ $30.00 each or sections 1 & 2 @ $20.00 each.  A second event, a Chinese Cultural Carnival, will be held on September 16th at Battery Park in New York City, featuring outdoor performances and cultural art. 

All events are free of charge to the public with the exception of the theatrical performance held at the Tribeca Performing Art Center the day before.  They have limited number of tickets available for purchase. To purchase your ticket(s), please send a check made out to Asian Culture Culture to:

China Institute
125 East 65th Street
New York, NY 10021
Attn: Renwen Society

You may visit http://www.acclub.org/en/festival.asp for more details on all of the events for The Chinese Cultural Festival 2006.

Spring Equinox - March 20, 2006

Until the Spring or Vernal Equinox, we are in the "solar term" or half-month Jingzhe. On March 20th, which will be the vernal equinox for the Northern Hemisphere this year, it will be Chunfen(春分)and the next half-month is Qingming(清明).

Qingming(清明) is a "solar term", which can be the half-month when the Sun is between the celestial longitudes of 15° and 30°, or the day when Sun exactly at the celestial longitude of 15°. Qing Ming Jie is 106 days after the Winter Solstice, and most commonly known as Tomb Sweeping Day in English.

Pomelos

The price of pomelos went up at the Asian grocery stores here around Chinese New Year. At first I thought, just another round citrus fruit. Round - the moon, having family together, bountiful, etc. but I was wrong.

Pomelo in Chinese sounds like "blessing" so the fruit is auspicious. However, pomelo season coincides with Mid-Autumn Festival not Chinese New Year. At least in America, this fruit seems to have become part of both festival celebrations.