The dojo celebrates Otsukimi (the Autumn Moon Festival and Moon Viewing) with mooncakes for students across all our classes.
It's rare that the dojo has snacks: there are two occasions, however, where the entire dojo shares food, and one of them is coming up right now! (The other, of course, is the annual Dojo Christmas Party in December).
Delayed because of the dojo's move from our old location to 767 Lexington Avenue, we'll have mooncakes to celebrate Otsukimi お月見, the Autumn Moon Festival on Saturday, October 14th, and on Monday, October 16th, 2023.
The Autumn Moon Festival occurred on September 29th this year (the date changes yearly because its based on the lunar calendar) and is based on the Chinese Mid-Autumn Moon Festival.
Historically, Japan began celebrating Otsukimi around the Heian Period (around 1000 A.D.) – it's a period of family gathering, celebrating the coming Autumn and the bounty and beauty of nature, and generally serves as a social occasion to bring communities together.
Mooncakes will be available throughout both days starting from when the dojo opens – please enjoy trying different kinds and sharing mooncakes with your fellow karateka!
