Where Has The Moon Gone?

Where has the moon gone?

Or for that matter, where has the sun gone?

Initially without thoughts,  this may be a silly question from a child.  As a child, I once asked  myself:  "Why was the moon following me everywhere I go?"  while I was walking and looking up at the moon in the sky.

Kids nowadays could find answers on the Internet here .

Have we ever questioned what would happen to our earth if the solar system suddenly crashed?  What if the  sun and the moon realigned their positions, went on strike and God our Creator decided to have a shutdown?  The planets are not man-made by human systems, however intelligent our advanced modern scientific technology.

The Mid-Autumn Festivals on 八月十五 are already over and why was I still blogging about the Mooncake Festivals and the moon?

I found this 45-year-old article (Gongs and cymbals again too much for that 'shy dog') related to "Moon Festival" published in the Straits Times of  October 8, 1968 by Mr Yeo Toon Joo. (Source:  NewspaperSG).

SINGAPORE, Mon.

Last night - the 15th of the Chinese eighth moon - Chinese tradition again won out against the "moon-eating sky dog" (thin kow) - so the old folks say.

In a five-hour tussle, duing which gongs sounded cymbals crashed and noisy utensils were drummed, the old and the young joined in a racket to scare away the celestial dog threatening to swallow up the moon.

At first, it looked as if the legendary hound was winning as less and less of the moon was seen.

First time

But shortly ater 9 p.m. the "monster" - unable to bear the earthly din any longer - began "disgorging" the moon.

Tradition, it seemed, had prevailed.

According to one graggy old man in Chinatown, where the din was loudest it was the first time in 47 years taht the full moon had not appeared on the 15th of the eighth lunar month - month of the Moon Festival.

"The lunar calendar has never been wrong before" he croaked.  "If it says full moon tonight it must be so.

"Well, tonight, there was no full moon.  It must be the old sky dog at his mischief again.

I remembered that one night on 八月十五 many decades ago in Bukit Ho Swee kampong, the sky was dark.  The villagers brought out the metal pots and pans, dustbins to make as much noise as possible to chase away the "heavenly monsters".  Several hours later, the bright, round moon appeared in the sky and the dark clouds moved away.

I had almost forgotten this "moon festival" kampong episode when I was very young in my childhood memories.

The moon and the sun are forever there until the end of the earth  ...

At different times, different weather conditions, different locations, the appearance of the moon in the sky within the vision of the naked eyes. 

It's actually light from the sun reflected back at us. This is what causes the moon to shine at night, and the fact that the earth, sun and moon move with respect to each other is what gives us the different phases of the moon, and this is what causes the most obvious change in the moon's brightness throughout the month: When we see a full moon, the maximum available surface area is reflecting the maximum amount of light poured out by the sun, and as the moon phases towards 'new', we see less and less of the lit surface, which means less and less of the sun's light is being reflected at us.

Please listen and watch "月亮代表我的心" (The Moon Represents My Heart) by Teresa Teng video on YouTube. The greatest hits of Teresa Teng in last two decades.

Enjoy!