Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (1889–1977) is considered one of the first movie stars ever and made film history with his acting and his works. He is also one of the few artists who managed the transition from silent films to sound films.
Because of using archetypal imagery and symbols in his films, it is natural that the moon could also play a part somewhere. We found four references:
We are looking again at China, where next to the moon festival in autumn, an event is celebrated at the beginning of the year, which is also connected to the full moon: the Lantern Festival (»Yuanxiao«). This celebration is traditionally held on the 15th day of the first moon month of the old Chinese calendars and therefore coincides (more or less exactly) with the full moon. The Lantern Festival indicates the end of the Chinese New Year ceremonies.
Even though the title of this article may suggest it, the following is not about James Bond, the famous secret agent of Her Majesty, but about another legend, which supposedly happened in Wiltshire in southern England.
A gang of alcohol smugglers tried to hide barrels in a pond of a village from the eyes of the official custom officers. When they were caught by them one night at the shore and were asked to explain themselves, the smugglers tried to rake the surface of the water in order to make the view onto the barrels more difficult. They then claimed that they were trying to fish a round cheese out of the pond and pointed at the reflection of the full moon in the water. The officers thought them to be insane and simply granted them to continue as pleased.
“Rupes Recta” is the name for a long line, which is visible on the Moon’s surface. The name derives from Latin and means “straight fault”, but due to its prominent shape, it is also called “Sword of the Moon”.
Rupes Recta is located at the edge of the lunar mare Mare Nubium and is one of the best known escarpments of the Moon. It is more than 60 miles long, with a width of 1–2 miles and a height of around 800 feet.
Nena and her band belong to the most successful artists in German music history. With »99 Luftballons« from 1983, she made a name for herself internationally and also reached 2nd place in the US charts with the English version »99 red balloons« [*]. This has only been accomplished by very few German musicians.
In the song »Vollmond« [full moon], also from 1983, Nena sings about the silver Moon and describes the romantic longing and restlessness, which can capture us during a full moon:
Today, we would like to focus on a more culinary subject of everything that can be eaten or drunk and is prepared in connection with the full moon. Apparently, there is a multitude of vendors (especially in Switzerland), who regularly manufacture their products at the full moon and who detect that the quality of their foods differs from the foods, which have not been produced in connection with any lunar happenings. These products appear to sell accordingly and successfully. We have not been able to fathom out whether this is really related to the Moon – it might also be that the consciousness of the acting persons is different, or that the customers bring along the appropriate willingness to appreciate the reference to the full moon.
Who does not know the »moon boots« – these bulky snow boots, which appeared in the 70’s and 80’s and have taken their claim ever since in the winterly fashion scene. The Italian Giancarlo Zanatta designed the shoes, inspired by the moon landing in 1969. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin wore overshoes with wide soles, which provided the formal inspiration for moon boots. Zanatta took immediate care of the production of the shoes with his company called Tecnica, which is run by his son Alberto Zanatta today, and still sells up to 700,000 pair per year.
It is self-evident to sing about the moon and some may have caught themselves humming a few quiet sounds while gazing into the full moon light. There are a large number of folk songs in all cultures addressing the full moon and having been passed on from generation to generation. Quite often, songs were sung in the evenings and hence it was natural that the moon would come into play. It appears to contain something inspiring. We have compiled a few examples of comtemporary songs about the full moon and realised that the word full moon can be found in numerous songs across all music genres, from Rock to Pop, from Jazz to New Age. Maybe it is the unattainability of the moon that is reflected in so many areas and experiences.
Although, one could assume that the following concerns vampires or werewolves, we occupy ourselves with another kind of bite, namely the bite of animals to humans. There is a study of the E.R. department of the Bradford Royal Infirmatory in Bradford, England from 1997–1999. Here, the question, whether animals bite more often at the full moon, has been investigated. 1,621 patients were looked at, who had been treated for animal bites. The majority of affected patients had been bitten by dogs (95.1 %), others by cats (3.4 %), horses (0.8%) and rats (0.7 %). The surprising aspect of this study is, that indeed a significant connections could be detected between the full moon happenings and the animal bites. Hence, this should be the first study, known to us, which provides such a result!
It is well known that the tides are caused by the tidal forces that are formed through gravity between the Earth and the Moon (and also between the Earth and the Sun). To put it simply, you can say that the Moon moves masses of ocean waters. At the full moon and the new moon, the Sun, the Moon and the Earth are roughly in alignment, hence, the forces are greater and cause so-called spring tides, thus a slightly higher tide. Now, many people conclude that the Moon – and in particular the full moon – ought to move and influence us people accordingly, because our bodies consist mostly of water. This claim contains several errors in reasoning, which we would like to explain in the following.
We recently went to a ballet performance – Swan Lake by Tschaikowsky – with the Moscow Ballet. Immediately, after the curtain rose for the first time, the stage set showed a nighttime scenery, with a castle at a lake and high in the sky a wonderful full moon. Later, when the »swans« appeared and everything was bathed in a bluish light, the entire room was permeated with a fantastic and subtle atmosphere.
The dancers were sensational. Every movement danced with absolute emotional power and perfect precision. We were amazed and in awe. A true delight for the senses …
In the finale, the castle scenery came into action again and the entire performance was surrounded by full moon light.
Whether Tschaikowsky had the full moon in mind?