Enjoying Japanese Customs thanks to my Mother-in-Law

This year Tsukimi was on last Friday, September 25th. Thanks to my Mother-in-Law for dessert, we had a traditional Japanese treat - tsukimi dango, served with red bean paste. In this photo you can only see five, but there were 15 in total. 

The number was no coincidence. Traditionally, fifteen dango are offered during Jūgoya, the harvest moon celebration, representing the fifteenth night of the lunar calendar when the moon is usually at its fullest. However, interestingly, this year there wasn't an astronomical full moon on the night - it came two days later.

The round white dumplings are said to symbolize the full moon itself. They are offered in gratitude for the season's harvest while also praying for future abundance. Ours were topped with chunky sweet red bean paste, adding a rich sweetness to the soft, chewy rice dumplings. It is a lovely way to mark Tsukimi and connect with long-standing seasonal Japanese traditions.