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THE MOON: PHASES
Phases of the Moon, as seen looking southward from the Northern Hemisphere. The Southern Hemisphere will see each phase rotated through 180°. The upper part of the diagram is not to scale, as the Moon is much farther from the Earth than shown here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_phase
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THE MOON MEANS MANY THINGS TO US
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The Mooncake Festival, 19 September 2013
A woman lights up a lantern in Petaling Jaya during the Lantern Festival or better known as Mid-Autumn festival. It is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar, during a full moon, which is in late September or early October in the Gregorian calendar. The Malaysian Insider pic by Afif Abd Halim, September 20, 2013.
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THE MOONCAKE FESTIVAL IN CHINATOWN, SINGAPORE
Click on the link for the video
20,000 lanterns light up Chinatown
…
Xinhua | 2013-9-8 9:01:47
By Agencies
Singapore’s Chinatown switched on some 20,000 decorative street lanterns in the heritage district on Saturday evening to officially kick off its Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations.
The lanterns, in five shapes, five sizes and 7 colors, will be kept on throughout the nights until Oct. 4, or 15 days after the Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on Sept. 19 this year.
“This is a Singapore record for the largest number of street lanterns on display,” said Philemon Loh, head of marketing and publicity at the Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng Citizens’ Consultative Committee, which organized the celebrations.
The Mid-Autumn Festival refers to the 15th day of the eighth month on the Chinese calendar, or lunar calendar.
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/809358.shtml#.UiyELn9yXfU
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*To the working class in England, the moon meant a wedding ring, which is a gold ring. It’s yellow and round like a full moon. In contrast, a rainbow is an engagement ring, a diamond ring, colorful.
Click on the link: Russ Hamilton…..Rainbow 1957 – YouTube
*Moonstruck!
That can mean crazy, as in lunatic.
I had many interesting colleagues at the Victoria University of Wellington when I did my postgrad studies and began my lecturing career.
One sociologist in particular, a white South Africa who had emigrated to New Zealand, made a permanent impact on my thinking. Some truths, he emphasized, are not subject to scientific proof. Some aspects of human behaviour, he continued, are resistant to sociological analysis. Yet, they are true.
On that note, he pointed to a strange phenomenon that occurred monthly at the nearby mental asylum:
At full moon, the patients, lunatics, would begin howling at the moon!
It doesn’t matter that, scientifically, you can’t prove a strong enough statistical correlation (link) between full moon nights and lunatics howling at the moon. What is important is that such a link has been observed by people all through the centuries. Enough people perceive such a link, and when it happens, they say, “It’s the full moon. That’s why they are howling.”
(In Malaysia, we refer to a mental asylum as a hospital sakit otak, though the proper term is hospital bahagia.)
*Moonstruck also means dazed or distracted with romantic sentiment. In simple words, falling in love, usually suddenly and completely.
You walk into a room, see someone and you’re moonstruck!
*For a huge number of people, the Chinese, this time of the year is when we celebrate the MOONCAKE FESTIVAL,
There are different names for the same festival…
The Lantern Festival, The Mooncake festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival
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Lantern Festival
There are many different stories about the origins of the Lantern Festival. Some are based on spiritual practice like honoring Buddha, or Tianguan (the Taoist God of Good Fortune), while another popular story traces the Festival’s origins to a homesick maid named Yuanxiao. Another story is that people believed they could see spirits flying in the light of the first full moon of the New Year, so they used lanterns to further illuminate the sky. There are other versions of the Festival’s origins, but needless to say, the Festival has been in practice for around 2,000 years.
Of course, the main attraction at the Lantern Festival is the lanterns. Many lanterns are made to reflect historical Chinese themes, and depict scenes from stories and legends that express traditional values. They are also made to represent the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac and heroic figures. These are only some examples. The variety of lanterns at the Lantern Festival is limitless.
Lantern Festival – Chinese Historical Society of Southern ..
www.chssc.org/Festival/Lantern/Lantern%20Festival.htm – Cached
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Star
Staple favourites
This Mid-Autumn Festival, why not try some of the interesting varieties of mooncake prepared by creative chefs. Tai Thong
Mooncake experts Tai Thong continues its tradition in paying importance to the Mooncake Festival by drawing inspiration from our homeland, Malaysia. To mark this year’s festival, the Musang King has been given prominence. The Imperial Musang King Royale mooncake leverages on the bold characteristic of the durian, using only 100% premium Musang King durian. There are also nine other new flavours: Emerald Ferringhi (white skinned chia seed studded mooncake), Black Forest Highland (black sesame paste with fragrant coconut and golden crushed egg yolk), White Mocha Delight (aromatic Nanyang White Coffee), Limau Manis (mix of red bean paste and tangerine peels), Emperor’s Dream (premium durian with fragrant coconut and pandan), Sweet Paradise (Nanyang White Coffee, custard and macadamia), Tropical Trio (mango, grapefruit and pandan), Pineapple Sesame Crunch ( baked pineapple tart and sesame green bean paste), Teh Tarik Delight (elements of the drink combined with coconut paste in black charcoal snow skin). The mooncakes are available at Tai Thong restaurants, major hypermarkets and shopping mall kiosks. For details, call 180088-2388 or visit http://www.taithong. com.my.
http://mystar.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
Staple favourites
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NST
8 September 2012 | last updated at 12:42AM
Mid-Autumn fun at Central Market
FESTIVAL: The annual Lantern Parade returns with spectacular entertainment and performances
Visitors can join in the fun with free lanterns during the parade.
Visitors can soak in the joyous celebration and enjoy exciting entertainmentKUALA LUMPUR: LOCALS and tourists visiting Central Market Kuala Lumpur this month will be entertained by a plethora of cultural shows during its Mid-Autumn Festival fun.
The 1Malaysia Tourism Lantern Festival on Friday will delight visitors with a spectacular display of 30 giant lanterns and plenty of revelry.
This event, co-organised by the Kuala Lumpur Chinese Assembly Hall and Central Market Kuala Lumpur and supported by the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia, is aimed at promoting Malaysia’s unique culture and diversity.
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What is Mid-Autumn Festival without the delicacies that go with it such as mooncakes? With this in mind, there will also be a Mid-Autumn Festival Eating Competition.
Visitors to Central Market are invited to savour special traditional delicacies and snacks by participating in the eating competition.
Participants will be given simple quests in each session and winners of each session will receive a gift, courtesy of Central Market.
For details on the festive events and activities, visit http://www.centralmarket.com.my or the Central Market Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/#!/cm1888.
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THE MOON AND LUNATICS
“Lunatic” is an informal term referring to people who are considered mentally ill, dangerous, foolish or unpredictable; conditions once called lunacy. The term may be considered insulting in serious contexts, though is sometimes used in friendly jest. The word derives from lunaticus meaning “of the moon” or “moonstruck”.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
WHEN I WAS A POST-GRADUATE STUDENT STUDYING SOCIOLOGY IN NEW ZEALAND, I MET ALL SORTS OF SOCIOLOGISTS.
Some did not believe in the supernatural and were atheists. Others were believers, though of different religious persuasions, and not necessarily of the Christian faith.
One sociologist in particular made an impact on my thinking. Some truths, he emphasized, are not subject to scientific proof. Some aspects of human behaviour, he continued, are resistant to sociological analysis.
On that note, he pointed to a strange phenomenon that occurred monthly at the nearby mental asylum:
At full moon, the patients, lunatics, would begin howling at the moon!
It doesn’t matter that, scientifically, you can’t prove a strong enough statistical correlation (link) between full moon nights and lunatics howling at the moon. What is important is that such a link has been observed by people all through the centuries. Enough people perceive such a link, and when it happens, they say, “It’s the full moon. That’s why they are howling.”
(In Malaysia, we refer to a mental asylum as a hospital sakit otak, though the proper term is hospital bahagia.)
Read the article below, which comes from people who are supernaturally dis-inclined, to put it kindly. Some people would say that they are spiritually blind.
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From Abracadabra to Zombies
Full moon and lunar effects
“…spooky effects have been ascribed to the phases of the moon….But when the statistics are redone properly, the correlation with lunar phase always evaporates….Yet many sensible people—including police officers and emergency room staff—continue to believe otherwise.” —Steven Strogatz
Ivan Kelly, James Rotton and Roger Culver (1996) examined over 100 studies on lunar effects and concluded that the studies have failed to show a reliable and significant correlation (i.e., one not likely due to chance) between the full moon, or any other phase of the moon, and each of the following:
-the homicide rate
-traffic accidents
-crisis calls to police or fire stations
-domestic violence
-births of babies
-suicide
-major disasters
-casino payout rates
-assassinations
-kidnappings
-aggression by professional hockey players
-violence in prisons
-psychiatric admissions [one study found admissions were lowest during a full moon]
-agitated behavior by nursing home residents
-assaults
-gunshot wounds
-stabbings
-emergency room admissions [but see]
-behavioral outbursts of psychologically challenged rural adults
–lycanthropy
–vampirism
-alcoholism
-sleep walking
–epilepsy
If so many studies have failed to prove a significant correlation between the full moon and anything, why do so many people believe in these lunar myths? Kelly, Rotton, and Culver suspect four factors: media effects, folklore and tradition, misconceptions, and cognitive biases. A fifth factor should be considered, as well: communal reinforcement.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article but remember that it comes from a Skeptic’s Blog.
By definition and inclination, skeptics are people who are not inclined to believe in the paranormal, fringe science, pseudoscience, and extraordinary claims of all kinds. They dismiss these as irrational and illogical. To me, they are, put simply, spiritually insensitive.
www.skepdic.com/fullmoon.html – Cached
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Neil Armstrong, first man on the Moon, dies at 82
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THE MOON CAKE FESTIVAL IS COMING!
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9 August 2012 | last updated at 11:43PM
‘Halal’ mooncakes from Yee Hup
The Yee Hup outlet in Gunung Rapat. Pix by Wong Tuck Keong.In conjunction with this event, confectionery store Yee Hup Enterprise Sdn Bhd is getting a head start on the run-up to the Mooncake Festival with the introduction of 10 halal mooncake varieties.
These include a pandan lotus with a single yolk, assorted nuts, a pure lotus, a pandan lotus, red beans, a pandan lotus with salted Mung beans and the single yolk.
Available varieties also include lotus with single and double yolks, supreme mixed nuts and the famous white-coffee mooncake.
Prices for mooncakes range from RM10 to RM19 a piece.
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| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | China |
| Details | |
| Type | Pastry |
| Main ingredient(s) | Crust: lard or vegetable oil Filling: red bean or lotus seed paste |
The festival is intricately linked to the legends of Chang Er, the mythical Moon Goddess of Immortality.
Because of its central role in the Mid-Autumn festival, mooncakes remained popular even in recent years. For many, they form a central part of the Mid-Autumn festival experience such that it is now commonly known as ‘Mooncake Festival’.
Ming revolution
There is a folk tale about the overthrow of Mongol rule facilitated by messages smuggled in moon cakes.
Mooncakes were used as a medium by the Ming revolutionaries in their espionage, to secretly distribute letters to overthrow the Mongolian rulers of China in the Yuan dynasty. The idea is said to have been conceived by Zhu Yuanzhang (朱元璋) and his advisor Liu Bowen (劉伯溫), who circulated a rumor that a deadly plague was spreading, and the only way to prevent it was to eat special mooncakes. This prompted the quick distribution of mooncakes, which were used to hide a secret message coordinating the Han Chinese revolt on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month.
Another method of hiding the message was printed in the surface of mooncakes as a simple puzzle or mosaic. To read the encrypted message, each of the four mooncakes packaged together must be cut into four parts each. The 16 pieces of mooncake, must then be pieced together in such a fashion that the secret messages can be read. The pieces of mooncake are then eaten to destroy the message.
Mooncake – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Author Reads Children’s Story “Bunny Rabbit on the Moon”
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Watch the cartoon of Pecos Bill and Slew-Foot Sue!
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PECOS BILL & SLEW-FOOT SUE, THE FIRST AMERICAN WOMAN TO ALMOST MAKE IT TO THE MOON
Pecos Bill grew up to become a cowboy and has a horse, Widowmaker, and a love interest, Slue-Foot Sue, both are equally as idealised as Pecos Bill.
After a courtship with Slue-Foot Sue where, among other things, Pecos Bill shoots all the stars from the sky, except for one which becomes the Lone Star, he proposes to Sue who insisted on riding Widowmaker sometime before, during or after the wedding depending on variations in the story.
Widowmaker, jealous of no longer having Bill’s undivided attention, bounces Sue off, who lands on her bustle which begins bouncing her higher and higher, eventually hitting her head on the moon following a failed attempt to lasso her. After Slue-Foot Sue had been bouncing for days, Pecos-Bill realized that she would starve to death, so he put her out of her misery by shooting her as an act of mercy. Though it is said that Bill was married many times, he never did recover from the loss of Sue.
The Big Apple: Pecos Bill (legendary superhuman cowboy)www.barrypopik.com/…/entry/…legendary_superhuman_cowboy – Cached
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There are two stories about the Chinese woman on the Moon. Go to this link for both:
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Chang‘e – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang%27e – Cached
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Chinese on the Moon (Fable)
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LADY CHANG ER
Legendary, the story is around 2170 B.C., during King Yao’s 
rule, ten suns appeared in the sky. Because the heat from these suns endangered crops, wildlife and the very existence of people, King Yao asked a famous archer to shoot down nine of the ten suns. After shooting the extra suns down, the archer Hou Yi asked for the hand of the Emperor’s beautiful daughter, Chang Er, as a reward.
Hou Yi took good care of Chang Er but she remained indifferent to him, always considering herself the most beautiful woman in the world.
Meanwhile, the king was worried the extra suns would appear again and cause a new disaster so he gave Hou Yi a pill that was said to ensure immortality. But Chang Er learned of this pill and decided that she could make better use of it herself.
Therefore, she swallowed the pill and immediately started floating into the air to escape from her husband. She soon reached the moon, where she remains, transformed into a toad as punishment. Hou Yi loved divinely his beautiful wife so very much so he did not shoot the moon down. Leaving the poor Hou Yi to see only the shadow of his vain wife, and only when the moon is full.
www.tuvy.com/chinese/info/lady_chang_er.htm – Cached
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weehingthong 