Moon Day: A day for the sign of the night

The moon is a vital part of our daily – or nightly – lives. It is something that has been with us that it has transcended to many pieces of our lives. (Photo: David Dibert/Unsplash)

There are many indications that the night has arrived. This includes the darkening of the skies after the fusion of orange and indigo, the twinkling of the stars, and of course, the showing of the moon that shows its different faces each evening. Ironically, there is a day for this sign of the night – the Moon Day which is celebrated every July 20 to commemorate the very day that the first man walked on the moon in 1969.

In this article, let’s visit different cultures and viewpoints on how the moon plays different roles in different aspects and subjects.

Next to the Sun

When one looks up in the sky, it is the sun that rules the day and it is the moon that caresses the night. Though clouds and stars exist, these two heavenly bodies personify what day and night really are, and this is why these two are often pinned against each other.

As polar opposites, the moon has always been foiled next to the sun as it negates everything the sun is. As taught at Science class, the sun emits its very own light while the moon only borrows this and transmits it in the darkness of the night.

While the sun may represent rage and fire with its heat, the moon is used to embody calmness through the gentleness of its borrowed light.

Though they are paralleled to each other, it is still highlighted that the sun and moon are connected and are essential to one another especially to that of day and night.

Legends, Myths, Religion

Also related to that of the sun and moon’s conceptual relationship, a lot of folklore are fond of these two heavenly bodies as gods and goddesses, especially for ancient religions. Often, the sun is portrayed as a god and the moon as a goddess because of being likened to masculine and feminine characteristics respectively – then working together despite not meeting. Sometimes they are also romanticized as tragic lovers who never meet.

Other mythologies have given tribute to the moon though, through its personification as a deity. The Ainus have Kunnechup Kamui, Norse mythology has the god Máni, the Goddess Selene or Phoebe for the Greeks, there is Iah of the Egyptian mythology, and the god Tsukuyomi for the Japanese Shinto religion.

Another popular folklore on the moon is that of Chinese mythology, circling Chang’e and her rabbit who are both believed to be living in the moon.

The Philippines is not out of this trend though as Mayari (Malayari or Malyari) exists in Philippine mythology. This deity’s gender differs per tribe but they are said to be the child of the supreme god Bathala.

In the Tagalog mythology variation of Mayari, she ruled the night after a battle with her brother Apolaki. As the children of Bathala, the creator of the world, both were born with bright eyes that were so bright it could light up the whole earth. However, Bathala’s death ignites friction between the two, with Apolaki aiming to rule the earth on his own, as opposed to Mayari who wishes to divide it equally to both of them. A battle ends with Mayari losing her eye and an apologetic Apolaki who takes pity and finally agrees on her terms.

It is then believed that from morning until the afternoon, it is Apolaki who sits on the throne, his eyes brightening the whole world. While a dimmer light in the darkness rules the world with a one-eyed Mayari sitting on the throne for the night.

‘I love you’

“Tsuki ga kirei desu ne?” in Japan which literally translates to “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” – believe it or not – is another way to say the iconic three words ‘I love you’ according to an English teacher and a novelist.

Several sources for this information talk about how Souseki Natsume (1867-1916) pointed out that the Japanese people do not say those three words to express love. It could be because back in those days, the Japanese were more reserved in uttering their affections especially that of love compared to today’s age.

The phrase also entails that love does not necessarily mean the outright confession through words when love can still be expressed between two people who can just enjoy a beautiful scenery, which in this case is the view of the moon.

Japanese media has also been attentive in this reference, often playing with words since “suki” the Japanese word for “like” is close to the Japanese word for the “moon” which is “tsuki.”

Weaved with words

On everyday conversations, the moon can still be casually brought up for more colorful exchanges.

The moon is a subject of many idiomatic expressions, often used for things that are far from a person’s grasp. Despite the different meanings of these expressions, the moon is always used for something that is impossible or rare. On other expressions, the moon could symbolize whatever the extreme is.

As an example, the expression “ask for the moon” means making demands that are not reasonable.

“Once in a blue moon” meanwhile, means something that happens once in a while or not so frequently.

To “promise [somebody] the moon” means to vow for something that is beyond one’s capabilities.

Unlike other concepts, when the moon is involved in idiomatic expressions, it is more often than not, about the impossibilities and the extremes.

Strange, oddities

Despite the moon being considered as a majestic heavenly body, it is often associated with the supernatural and the peculiar.

The word “lunatic” which means crazy, coming from the Latin word for the moon which is “luna” comes from the belief or observation that most people become deviant during the full moon. (Though there is no scientific basis of this.)

Most monsters in fiction are also directly related to the moon such as werewolves and vampires.

For something that is usually seen in the evening sky, these things that imply something unnatural are still linked to the moon though there are a lot of things in the night sky.

The moon is a vital part of our daily – or nightly – lives. It is something that has been with us that it has transcended to many pieces of our lives.