Otsukimi

September 24: Otsukimi

The big question is: was today the day about the big round moon or the day about the rabbit? The answer is: it was about both! Otsukimi, meaning “moon viewing,” is a Japanese festival worshipping the Autumn full moon. People celebrate this festival by decorating the house with susuki (Japanese pampas grass) and a tray called Sanpo stacked with fifteen rice dumplings (for it takes fifteen days for a new moon to turn into a full moon) shaped just like a moon. People enjoyed looking out at the beautiful moon, in the hope of glancing the sight of a rabbit(s)believed to live there while wishing for a good rice harvest. In Buds, here is how we celebrated Otsukimi…

Moon Painting
Together with Liezel, we used sponges and brushes to cover a rather crumpled up paper in golden yellow paint. Did you know that the surface of the moon is not smooth but bumpy with lots of craters? We got so excited about the idea of painting all over the paper that we kind of got carried away….the next moment, the teachers realized that we were painting the table and floor in yellow as well! Please look forward to seeing the completed Otsukimi artwork in our portfolios :)

Odango (Rice Dumpling) Making
Ideally we would have loved to make mochi by steaming the mochi rice, pounding it with a wooden mortar and pestle and shaping it into ball shapes. Then of course feasting on the yummy odango! However, due to Corona, we are restricted to cook in the classroom so instead we enjoyed the experience of touching the stickiness and making shapes out of shiratama flour mixed with water. We made sure to make fifteen dumplings and placed them carefully on a plate for display together with a vase with susuki.

Rabbit On The Balcony
Usually, the balcony is not so popular in the morning except for a few friends but this morning was different: we were greeted by a bunny and it was a big hit! The bunny belongs to Nanako and her children Una and Noah (who are in Flowers class) and is named “Cinnamon” after his light and dark brown color, though usually referred to as Pyonｰchan (from the hopping sound of “pyon pyon” in Japanese). Some of us were super excited and wanted to squeeze him as tightly as possible. Erika and Shelley patiently showed us how to be gentle so as not to scare Cinnamon. For example, we were told not to move the cardboard box, a temporary house for the day or to not poke our fingers into his eyes. Indeed, there are so many things we can learn from animals.

Hideout
If we see any box like shape, we hide; we just love to hide! Usually the floor area is the busiest space in the classroom but not today, most of us were busy checking out Cinnamon.

Circle Time
Hearing Shake Our Sillies Out we knew to gather in a circle for some singing and dancing. We had fun doing a freeze dance and then we sang our Good Morning song.

Nanako asked if anyone had looked up at the sky to see the moon. She explained how the moon changes its shape and showed us using a black piece of paper with a moon hiding behind it…and there in the middle of the moon was a shadow of bunny! We better look up at the sky and look for the bunny tonight! Hold on, is Cinnamon the bunny from the moon? Hmm…

For story time, we read a Japanese book called Otsukisama Konbanwa (Good Evening Moon) and sang a song called Tsuki (Moon) which goes like this…

Deta deta tsuki ga
Marui marui man marui
Bon no yona tsuki ga

We had a good thirty minute play at the park after snack and had a marvelous time playing with the Petals and Flowers’ friends and teachers :)

It was another FUNTASTIC FRIDAY!

Love from all the children in Buds xoxo