Meaning of Otsukimi | Babel Free

Definitions

A moon-viewing festival in the fall (autumn).

Examples

“I was always interested to see which of the Japanese customs belonged to the Palace and which to the world outside the Palace. O Bon, or the Festival of the Dead in midsummer, was a festival of the people, as also was Otsukimi, or Moon-Viewing. I have delightful memories of a party in the country near Tokyo to which we went when the September moon was full.”

“The fact that Japanese people have gazed at and felt affection for the Moon since ancient times is also apparent from folklore, such as the story of the Moon Rabbit. And although Otsukimi (moon-viewing) festivals seem to have originated in China, the custom of appreciating the Moon is said to have existed in Japan since the Jōmon period (approximately 14,000 BC to 400 BC).”

“When the harvest moon arrives, people gather for the Otsukimi festival to celebrate with foods that remind us of the moon, like chestnuts, sunny-side up eggs, and dumplings.”

CEFR level