September 17 this year was the day of Otsukimi, the Moon-Viewing Festival. On this day, many people in Japan prepare dumplings for the moon. And in some parts of Japan, we had a special custom called “Tsukimi-dorobo.” When I was a child, we could take and eat the dumplings and other food that were offered for Otsukimi. Normally, taking other people’s things is bad, but on this special day, it was allowed. Families thought the moon ate the dumplings if they were taken. It meant the family would be happy. In this way, Otsukimi is a little like Halloween because children can get sweets, but there is a big difference. We didn’t do anything bad even if we couldn’t get any sweets.　　　(122 words)