The dojo celebrates Otsukimi (the Autumn Moon Festival and Moon Viewing) with mooncakes for students across all our classes on Wednesday, September 18th, 2024.
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 very soon! (The other, of course, is the annual Dojo Christmas Party in December).
On Wednesday, September 18th, 2024, we'll have mooncakes to celebrate Otsukimi お月見, the Autumn Moon Festival.
The Autumn Moon Festival occurs on Tuesday/Wednesday September 17th/18th this year (the date changes yearly because it's based on the lunar calendar) and is based on the Chinese Mid-Autumn Moon Festival.
Historically, Japan began celebrating Otsukimi お月見 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.
In modern times, many dojo celebrate Otsukimi お月見 as a fun way to bring the entire dojo community (kizuna) together.
Mooncakes will be available throughout the day starting from when the dojo opens at 1:30PM ET – please enjoy trying different kinds and sharing mooncakes with your fellow karateka!
