Full Moon

Today people all over China are gathered with their families, enjoying each others company, eating 月饼 (yuebing), and staring up at the full moon in celebration of 中秋节 (zhongqiujie). This Mid-Autumn festival is a traditional, harvest festival, but it has come to also represent a time of families coming together to be with each other.

Tonight after dinner a few of us went out for a walk. At a street corner I looked up and gasped at the fullness and brightness of the moon. Though the skies are usually unclear, the moon seemed to sit on top of the surface of the night, like a white sticker that a little girl just plopped in the middle of an otherwise blank-slate sky. Just as I looked up and pointed at the moon, fireworks went off in celebration. Though they were short, it felt like we had at least taken note of the holiday.