12 monthes (4)

Mixed Chorus Group

Fonte

Our twelve monthes of Nagareyama in Japan

October

A full moon of mid-autumn is especially beautiful. The full moon night nearest the Autumnal Equinox Day is the moon viewing night. In 2006, the night was October 6th.

At the moon viewing feast, we offer rice dumplings or boiled aroids, and grass trees for the Moon.
Rice dumplings are sweetened by suger admixing or bean jam rolling up. We arrange 15 or more rice dumplings highly on a small wooden table or dish. Or by other locality, we skewer them and align on a table or dish.
The number of "15" is in connection with the 15th night from new moon night. In lunar calendar, we have a full moon on 15th night every month.
Aroid is a kind of taro or potato. It is round or taro-form and the diameter is 1 inch more or less. We boile them with salt and peel, and arrange them as like as rice dumplings.
Rice dumplings or aroids may be the symbol of thanks for the rich harvests in autumn.

There is another style of moon viewing feast.
There is neither rice dumpling nor aroid, but there are a sake bottle and a drinking cup. This is a style for adult men.

Oct. 21, 2006, we sang songs on a stage of " The 14th Chorus Festival of Nagareyama ".

November

November is the mid season of autumn leaves.
The first report of autumn leaves brings from Mt. Daisetsuzan of Hokkaido in the mid of September.
The mountain is about 900 kilometers (560 miles) in north-northeast away from Tokyo, and the elevation of top is 2,290 meters (7,513 feet). And the autumn leaves moves through north to south, and high to low.

In the mid October, it comes to Nikko. It is a famous sightseeing area, and it is about 120 kilometers (75 miles) in north away from Tokyo. There are 103 historical shrines and temples registered in the world heritage. And there are many beautiful waterfalls. The biggest one is 97 meters (318 feet) high. Upon the waterfall, there is a beautiful big lake. The elevation of the lake surface is 1,269 meters (4,163 feet).

People around Tokyo hear such reports of autumn leaves in much expectation. In flatland around Tokyo, people can enjoy autumn leaves from the end of November to the beginning of December.

December

In Japan, the Symphony No.9 of Beethoven was given the first public performance by German orchestra in 1891.
All members of the orchestra were prisoners of the First World War, in clink to a prison in Japan.
The leader, Hermann Hansen, was the conductor of Marine Artiller Orchestra of Qingdao, German leased territory in China.
In today's Japan, many concerts of Beethoven - No.9 are held everywhere in December. Such concerts of "No.9" in year-end, will be put a kind of prayer for the peace and solidarity of the world.
In Nagareyama, the concert of "No.9" will be held in December 2007. Many of our Fonte-members will sing on the concert. Our conductor Mr. Karasawa will act as the chief of the executive committee for the concert.


	Christmas We have a small Christmas party every year. Our each member brings a present and puts it into a big bag. Then Santa Claus appears and distributes a present to everybody. After we show them each other, and we will talk, laugh, drink and sing some songs.

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