By The SUN
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| The moon will be at biggest and brightest on Oct 1, says the HK Observatory |
Moon lovers will have an extra-long weekend to watch the autumn moon this year with the National Day on Thursday, Oct 1, coinciding with the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Festival traditions are, however, likely to be put to test by social distancing and other health protocols in these pandemic times, led by a no-nonsense government ban on gatherings of more than four persons in public places.
The festival falls on Thursday, but moon watching begins on
the evening of Sept 30, when
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The annual festivity is celebrated with lantern exhibitions, feasting and fun. It will peak with the autumn moon on the night of Oct 1, when the moon will be at its biggest and will remain visible in the sky until the early morning of Saturday.
In pre-pandemic times, the festival was a time in
It was also a time for families with children to light colorful candles and walk around with gay lanterns on beaches, parks, or the Peak, as they wait for the moon to rise to its full glory.
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For lovers, it was a time to make promises to the moon in some quiet nooks; for loners, a time to just wait and wish that, next time around, they’d not be moon watching alone.
Mid-Autumn Festival was a time for partying on chartered
trams or dining and cruising on
For migrant workers, the festival was always a welcome break
from backbreaking chores to get together, go hiking, visit malls, or simply
loll around in their favorite haunts across
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| Colorful and bright lanterns are hung to celebrate what is also known as "Lantern Festival" |
Now much of these are a thing of the past. Everyone must observe the strict distancing protocols, or face the possibility of a penalty. If people want to dine together, they must go in groups of four, or do it in the confines of their homes.
Migrant workers who are lucky enough to be allowed out during the holidays, must also observe distancing and be careful when dining together, as this is considered as a high-risk activity by health experts.
But the festival fun still depends much what the weather will be like at the long weekend. The Hong Kong Observatory’s forecast for the period is not yet available. But with rains having fallen daily these past few days, hopes are for clearer skies during the festival.
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| Giving away mooncakes is also part of the yearly tradition |
To assist the public in moon watching, the Government Information Service lists the times of moonrise, transit, moonset and full moon during the festival period.
Watch out for moonrise at 5:35pm on Sept 30. It transits the local meridian at 11.31pm and sets at 5:32am the next day.
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On Oct 1, moonrise will be at 6:08pm, transit at 12 minutes past midnight on Oct 2 and moonset at 6:31am next day.
On Oct 2, the moon will rise at 6:40pm, transit at 53 minutes past midnight on Oct 3 and set at 7:10am the next day.
The government notes that at its fullest, the moon as seen from the earth is completely illuminated, it and the sun being located on the opposite sides of the planet.
offense.
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