Update: see Tang Dynasty Times for more on the Harvest Moon.
The Harvest Moon will grace the skies over Zaisan Tolgoi on October 4, rising at 5:58 pm and setting at 8:04 am on the 5th, This year I intend to view the entire transit of the Full Moon across the skies from my perch on the mountain in front of my hovel in Zaisan Tolgoi. Obviously this will require staying up all night. I will build a small fire, so if you night owls in Ulaan Baatar stumbling out of your lowly drinking dens see a glowing light on the top of the mountain behind Zaisan Tolgoi do not be alarmed. It is not the return of Baron Ungern-Sternberg.
The Harvest Moon will grace the skies over Zaisan Tolgoi on October 4, rising at 5:58 pm and setting at 8:04 am on the 5th, This year I intend to view the entire transit of the Full Moon across the skies from my perch on the mountain in front of my hovel in Zaisan Tolgoi. Obviously this will require staying up all night. I will build a small fire, so if you night owls in Ulaan Baatar stumbling out of your lowly drinking dens see a glowing light on the top of the mountain behind Zaisan Tolgoi do not be alarmed. It is not the return of Baron Ungern-Sternberg.
My mountain, top center
As you probably already know the Harvest Moon is the Full Moon closest to the Autumn Equinox, which usually occurs around September 23th. Three years out of four, roughly speaking, the Harvest Moon will be in September, but this year it occurs in October, eleven days after the Autumn Equinox. The previous Full Moon was on September 5, 18 days before the Autumn Equinox.The Harvest Moon was memorialized in the song “Shine On, Harvest Moon” by the immortal Ruth Etting, American’s Sweetheart of Song:
Shine on, shine on harvest moon up in the sky
I ain't had no lovin' since January, February, June, or July
Snow time ain't no time to sit outdoors and spoon
Shine on, shine on harvest moon for me 'n' my gal
C'mon, shine on harvest moon way up there in the sky. Don'tcha
know I ain't had no lovin' since January, February, June, AND July? Now, looka
here—don't you know better than to set out there in the snow 'n' spoon?
C'mon, I don't want no half moon, I want a full moon.
Oh, won't you shine on, shine on harvest moon (shine on, shine on)
Up in the sky? (shine on)
I ain't had no lovin' since January, February, June, or July
(ah-ooba, ah-ooba, ah-ooba , ah-ooh)
Don't you know you're gonna freeze to death
Settin' out there in the snow tryin' to spoon?
So shine on, shine on harvest moon for me 'n' my gal
Ruthie, America’s Sweetheart, baring her gams, which was pretty daring back in 1935.
