Mid-Autumn Festival 2016 (Japan)

What an incredible thing that we all look up and see the same moon. Tonight marks the beginning of the 2016 Mid Autumn Festival known as “Tsukimi”—which literally means “moon viewing”—a tradition that began over 1,000 years ago.

The shadows on the surface of this full moon are believed to form the shape of a rabbit pounding rice to create mochi. Because of its relative position in the cosmos, the Autumnal moon appears to be at its brightest, making it the perfect party moon to celebrate this traditional moment with poetry and offerings of Pampas grass, rice dumplings, taro and sake as prayer for an abundant harvest.

Step outside and soak up the gravity of this moment in moon history.