Full Moon Feast

One of the things that dawned on me recently was that, with the exception of Christmas, Easter and birthdays we have no family rituals anymore. And… in the past few years as our children are growing and branching out and our jobs are becoming more demanding and life is just getting so busy, we rarely stop as a family and just celebrate life. I remember as a kid, every Friday night was fish ‘n chip night and every Sunday lunch was a roast –without fail! We would sit around the kitchen table as a family and Mum would dish up our meals and we’d eat together and talk (of course these talks would quite often blow out into full-blown debates and arguments, but I felt very much a part of my family with my thoughts and opinions valued, if not always agreed with).

So, with my fondness and downright obsession with the moon I decided to create our own family ritual – a “Full Moon Feast.” For one day every month we will prepare a feast on the night of the full moon. Everyone in our family is expected to be at home that night and can invite whoever they want – and we will gather around our kitchen table and share good food, good wine and good conversation. It will be a time to stop and escape from our hectic schedules and celebrate with the people we love. No TV, no work, no mobile phones and no homework.

We had our inaugural Full Moon Feast (FMF) on Tuesday 20th May 2008. Some very old and dear friends and some new friends were invited and it was a great success. It was one of the most relaxing and enjoyable nights we have had in ages. At the end of the night when everyone had left Dave and I both felt relaxed and regenerated. We had stopped the merry-go-round for just one night to celebrate how precious our family and friends are to us. And we loved it!

It feels like we have started a wonderful tradition and there are many of our other friends keen to join us for the magic of the next full moon…