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For fellow stargazers, this coming week is a special one, as the Harvest Moon will be rising on the nights of September 8-9. While we’re still a few weeks away from feeling autumn’s chilly embrace, the arrival of the Harvest Moon (not to mention the sudden influx of Halloween and pumpkin-based merchandise in stores) means that fall is just around the corner, and what better way to welcome it than with this week’s musical selection…
For those unfamiliar with lunar terms, the Harvest Moon is the name of the full moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox. According to legend, the reason it is referred to as the “Harvest Moon” is because it typically signified the start of the harvest season, and the light emanating from the moon allowed farmers to harvest their crops after the sun had set (which is why Natsume chose it as the title of its farming series).
But rather than selecting a theme from its namesake franchise, this week’s track comes from another popular life simulator: the original Animal Crossing for Nintendo GameCube. Every September or October, depending on what night the Harvest Moon would fall that year, the townsfolk would gather at the lake to gaze at the full moon, whose reflection could be seen rippling in the water. It was a beautiful sight, made even more mesmerizing by the above theme, which would play as you approached the lake. The soothing melody always reminded me of the gentle rise and fall of the autumn wind, and together with the image of the large, golden moon hanging in the sky, it made the Harvest Moon one of the most serene and memorable events in the entire game.
