TSUKIMI DANGO 🎑
Full Moon Rice Dumplings
Since Jugoya means the 15th night, fifteen dumplings, or 12 for the number of months, are stacked on top of a sanpo (a small stand used in Shinto rituals to present offerings) as decoration. 🎑
Full Moon Festival
The full moon that appears on Jugoya (August 15 of the Lunar calenar) when the air is considered especially fresh is called chushu-no-meigetsu (harvest moon).
The ancient tradition involves celebrating the fall harvest and doing otsukimi (moon-viewing). For this event, people decorate with susuki (Japanese pampas grass that’s believed to ward off evil spirits) and offer tsukimi-dango and the fall harvest to show appreciation for the fruitful year.