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The Rabbit in the Moon: A Sky Story Shared Around the World · Faithfully Explore!

0:00
Laura: Explorers, look up.
0:02
Laura: Picture the moon glowing in the night sky.
0:05
Laura: Some people look at the moon and see a face, but in many places around the world, people look at the moon and see a rabbit.
0:15
Laura: Which makes me wonder, why?
0:18
Laura: We are starting a special Faithfully Explore series called Sky Stories: Wonder Written in the Stars.
0:26
Laura: In this series, we'll discover how people around the world have looked up at the same sky and found animals, stories, and hope.
0:37
Laura: And today, we are following one very busy bunny across the moon.
0:43
Laura: I'm Laura, and this is Faithfully Explore, where we travel the world through stories, movement, games, and big ideas.
0:52
Laura: So grab your imagination telescope, tuck a carrot snack into your pretend pocket, and let's faithfully explore the rabbit in the moon.
1:04
Faithfully Explore! Intro: Faithfully Explore!
1:05
Faithfully Explore! Intro: is the name.
1:08
Faithfully Explore! Intro: Learning together is our aim.
1:12
Faithfully Explore! Intro: Beliefs around the globe we'll track, filling up our Belief Backpack.
1:20
Laura: All right, explorers.
1:21
Laura: Before we hop into the story, we need to talk about the Moon itself.
1:27
Laura: The Moon is rocky.
1:29
Laura: It has craters, mountains, and wide dark areas.
1:34
Laura: When we look from Earth, those dark and light patches make patterns, and here's where humans do something amazing.
1:44
Laura: When people look at the Moon, their minds sometimes connect the light and dark spaces into pictures.
1:51
Laura: In some places, people imagine a face.
1:55
Laura: In many parts of Asia and the Americas, people imagine a rabbit.
2:01
Laura: But here's the most interesting part: different cultures saw a rabbit in the Moon, but they told different stories about what it was doing.
2:14
Laura: Let's begin in China.
2:16
Laura: In Chinese folklore, the rabbit in the Moon is often called the Jade Rabbit.
2:22
Laura: In Mandarin Chinese, that is Yutu.
2:26
Laura: Can you try saying that with me?
2:29
Laura: Yutu.
2:31
Laura: Great job.
2:32
Laura: But how did Yutu get there?
2:36
Laura: Long ago, people said there were ten suns blazing in the sky.
2:41
Laura: The Earth grew hotter and hotter.
2:44
Laura: Rivers shrank, plants withered.
2:47
Laura: People searched for shade and wished for the world to cool again.
2:52
Laura: Then came Hou Yi, a brave and skillful archer.
2:58
Laura: He lifted his bow, aimed carefully, and shot down nine of the suns, leaving one bright sun to warm the Earth.
3:08
Laura: To thank him, Hou Yi was given a magical elixir, a drink of immortality.
3:16
Laura: Whoever drank it would live forever.
3:20
Laura: But Hou Yi loved his wife, Chang'e.
3:22
Laura: He did not want to become immortal and leave her behind, so he hid the elixir safely at home.
3:31
Laura: One day while Hou Yi was away, a greedy man came looking for the magical drink.
3:37
Laura: Chang'e knew she could not let him take it.
3:41
Laura: To protect the elixir, she drank it herself.
3:45
Laura: Suddenly, Chang'e felt light as a feather.
3:49
Laura: She rose from the floor.
3:51
Laura: She floated past the roof.
3:54
Laura: She drifted into the sky.
3:57
Laura: Higher and higher she went until she reached the glowing moon.
4:02
Laura: While Chang'e floated up to the moon, she found herself far from home, far from Hou Yi, and far from the world she knew.
4:11
Laura: But the moon was not empty.
4:14
Laura: There in the silver light lived the Jade Rabbit.
4:18
Laura: Night after night, the Jade Rabbit worked with a mortar and pestle.
4:23
Laura: That means a little bowl and a pounding tool.
4:27
Laura: Thump, thump, thump.
4:30
Laura: The rabbit ground magical herbs to make the elixir of life.
4:35
Laura: Some say the rabbit worked to make medicine for the immortals, those who can live forever.
4:42
Laura: So if you look at the moon and see a rabbit shape, some Chinese storytellers might say, "There is the Jade Rabbit, still grinding medicine for people to live forever in the Moon Palace."
4:56
Laura: Let's act it out.
4:58
Laura: Pretend you have a little bowl in one hand.
5:01
Laura: With your other hand, gently pound.
5:04
Laura: Pound, pound, stir.
5:08
Laura: Pound, pound, stir.
5:11
Laura: Now try a moon rabbit face.
5:14
Laura: Make pretend bunny ears with your hands.
5:17
Laura: Try to twitch your nose.
5:19
Laura: This rabbit has work to do.
5:22
Laura: Pound, pound, stir.
5:25
Laura: Excellent.
5:26
Laura: You are now officially hired as assistant moon medicine makers.
5:31
Laura: The moon in Chinese culture is also connected to the Mid-Autumn Festival.
5:36
Laura: The Mid-Autumn Festival is a special time when families gather to admire the full moon, eat mooncakes, and share stories about Chang'e and the Jade Rabbit.
5:50
Laura: Mooncakes are round pastries often shared during the festival.
5:55
Laura: And if you are wondering, "Laura, do mooncakes taste like actual moon?"
6:01
Laura: Probably not.
6:03
Laura: But if the moon tasted like cake, I would need a very large fork.
6:11
Laura: Let's hop over to Japan.
6:13
Laura: In Japan, the moon rabbit is called Tsuki no Usagi.
6:19
Laura: That means rabbit of the moon.
6:22
Laura: Try saying Usagi.
6:23
Laura: U-sa-gi, Usagi.
6:28
Laura: That means rabbit.
6:30
Laura: In Japanese folklore, the rabbit and the moon is not making medicine, it is making mochi.
6:36
Laura: Mochi Is a soft, chewy rice cake made from sticky rice.
6:41
Laura: Traditionally, making mochi involves pounding rice with a big wooden mallet.
6:47
Laura: So in Japan, when people look up at the full moon, some imagine a rabbit pounding mochi.
6:54
Laura: which means the moon rabbit may be the busiest snack chef in the entire sky.
7:01
Laura: Let's do a mochi movement moment.
7:04
Laura: Pretend you are holding a big wooden mallet.
7:07
Laura: Lift it up, now gently pound down.
7:11
Laura: Boom, lift, boom, lift, boom.
7:16
Laura: Now stir the sticky rice.
7:19
Laura: Stir, stir, stir.
7:21
Laura: Now shape it into a little moon dumpling.
7:24
Laura: Pat, pat, pat.
7:27
Laura: Hold it up.
7:29
Laura: Admire your imaginary mochi.
7:31
Laura: now take a pretend bite.
7:35
Laura: Mmm.
7:37
Laura: In Japan, there is a moon-viewing tradition called Tsukimi, which means looking at the moon.
7:43
Laura: Families may admire the autumn moon, decorate with pampas grass, and enjoy round rice dumplings called tsukimi dango.
7:54
Laura: So the rabbit and the moon becomes part of a bigger celebration.
7:58
Laura: Slowing down, looking up, noticing beauty, and sharing food.
8:05
Laura: You may have wondered about the story behind how the mochi rabbit got to the moon.
8:11
Laura: In Japan, the story is based on a Buddhist story.
8:17
Laura: In Buddhist tradition, there are stories called Jataka tales.
8:22
Laura: These stories tell about the Buddha's past lives before he became the Buddha.
8:29
Laura: In one of these stories, the future Buddha is born as a hare.
8:34
Laura: A hare is an animal a lot like a rabbit, with long ears and strong hopping legs.
8:42
Laura: This story is called The Hare on the Moon.
8:46
Laura: Long ago, the hare lived in a forest with friends, a monkey, a jackal, and an otter.
8:55
Laura: The hare was gentle and wise.
8:58
Laura: His friends listened to him because he often helped them think about kindness.
9:03
Laura: One day, the hare said, "Tomorrow is a special day for practicing generosity.
9:09
Laura: Let's each find something to give to anyone who needs help."
9:14
Laura: So the friends searched for food they knew and understood.
9:19
Laura: The otter, who lived near the water, found fish to offer.
9:24
Laura: The monkey, who climbed through the trees, gathered fruit to share.
9:29
Laura: The jackal, who searched the land for food, found a lizard.
9:34
Laura: But the hare looked around and thought, "I only eat grass.
9:39
Laura: Grass will not be a very good meal for a hungry traveler."
9:44
Laura: Then a visitor appeared.
9:46
Laura: In the story, this visitor was really a powerful heavenly being in disguise.
9:54
Laura: When the visitor asked the hare for food, the hare wanted to give everything he could.
10:00
Laura: The hare was even willing to give himself.
10:04
Laura: That part can feel very big and serious, so here's the heart of it.
10:10
Laura: The hare's kindness was so complete that he wanted to help with his whole self.
10:17
Laura: Before the hare could be hurt, the visitor revealed who he really was.
10:22
Laura: He protected the hare and honored his generous heart.
10:27
Laura: Then, to help the whole world remember the hare's compassion, the visitor placed the image of the hare on the moon.
10:36
Laura: So in this Buddhist story, when people see the hare in the moon, they remember generosity.
10:44
Laura: Not the kind where you give because someone told you to.
10:49
Laura: Not the kind where you give just to get a reward.
10:52
Laura: The kind of generosity that comes from a heart that says, "I want to help."
10:59
Laura: Let's pause and try a kindness pose.
11:02
Laura: Put both hands over your heart.
11:05
Laura: Take a deep breath in.
11:08
Laura: Now breathe out.
11:12
Laura: Think of one small thing you could give today.
11:15
Laura: Now open your hands outward as if you're gently sharing that kindness with the world.
11:21
Laura: That is a moon hare moment.
11:24
Laura: Good job, explorers.
11:29
Laura: Now let's travel across the ocean to Mexico and Central America.
11:33
Laura: This is a well-known story from the Nahua tradition about the moon and a rabbit.
11:39
Laura: There are different versions, but this version says the great god Quetzalcoatl came down to Earth in human form and walked for a long time.
11:52
Laura: Quetzalcoatl walked over hills and through fields.
11:57
Laura: The day grew long, the sun went down, the moon rose, and Quetzalcoatl was hungry and thirsty.
12:06
Laura: Nearby, a small rabbit was nibbling grass.
12:10
Laura: The rabbit saw the tired traveler and said, "Are you hungry?"
12:15
Laura: Quetzalcoatl said, "Yes, but I do not eat grass."
12:20
Laura: The rabbit thought carefully.
12:22
Laura: The rabbit did not have fruit.
12:24
Laura: The rabbit did not have bread, but the rabbit had a generous heart.
12:30
Laura: In the story, the rabbit offered herself to help him survive.
12:35
Laura: Quetzalcoatl was deeply moved by the rabbit's kindness.
12:39
Laura: He did not eat the rabbit.
12:41
Laura: Instead, he lifted her up toward the moon and pressed her image into its glowing face, so everyone could remember her good heart.
12:51
Laura: Then he gently brought her back to Earth.
12:54
Laura: So in this story, the rabbit on the moon symbolizes humility and generosity.
13:02
Laura: The rabbit was small, but her kindness was huge.
13:08
Laura: Let's do a small but mighty movement.
13:12
Laura: Crouch down tiny like a rabbit.
13:15
Laura: Make little paws with your hands.
13:17
Laura: Now whisper, "I may be small."
13:21
Laura: Slowly stand taller, "But my kindness can be big."
13:26
Laura: Again, crouch down.
13:29
Laura: "I may be small."
13:31
Laura: Stand up.
13:32
Laura: "But my kindness can be big."
13:35
Laura: Beautiful.
13:36
Laura: That belongs right in our Belief Backpack.
13:41
Laura: let's cross our friendship bridge.
13:45
Laura: Today, we looked at four traditions involving moon rabbits.
13:50
Laura: In Japanese folklore, the Jade Rabbit lives with Chang'e and pounds herbs for the elixir of immortality.
13:59
Laura: In Japanese folklore, the Moon Rabbit pounds mochi, connecting the rabbit with moon viewing, food, and celebration.
14:09
Laura: In Buddhist tradition, the hare on the moon reminds people of generosity and compassion.
14:16
Laura: In the Nahua story, the rabbit's kindness is remembered in moonlight.
14:22
Laura: Different places, different languages, different details, but the same glowing moon.
14:31
Laura: People around the world have always looked up and asked big questions.
14:36
Laura: What do those shadows look like?
14:38
Laura: What can the sky teach us?
14:41
Laura: Some saw a rabbit making medicine.
14:44
Laura: Some saw a rabbit making food.
14:47
Laura: Some saw a rabbit remembered forever for its generous heart.
14:51
Laura: Some saw a rabbit teaching kindness.
14:55
Laura: This is our friendship bridge.
14:57
Laura: Even when stories are different, our wondering can connect us.
15:03
Laura: The moon is like a giant nightlight shared by the whole world.
15:08
Laura: We may not all tell the same story, but we all know how to look up, wonder, and find meaning.
15:17
Laura: Now, after all that beautiful moon wisdom, I think our brains need a game.
15:25
Laura: It's game time.
15:31
Laura: Welcome to Moon Rabbit Mix-Up.
15:34
Laura: Our moon rabbit has hopped through so many stories that the tales got a little tangled.
15:41
Laura: Your job is to help sort them out.
15:44
Laura: Here's how it works.
15:46
Laura: I'll give a clue, you shout the answer and do the motion.
15:51
Laura: Your choices are Medicine Rabbit for the Chinese Jade Rabbit.
15:56
Laura: The motion: pound, pound, stir herbs in a bowl.
16:03
Laura: Mochi Rabbit for the Japanese Moon Rabbit.
16:07
Laura: Your motion: take a pretend bite.
16:13
Laura: Kindness Hare for the Buddhist Jātaka tale.
16:16
Laura: Motion, hands on heart, then open them outward.
16:24
Laura: The moonlight rabbit for the Nahua story.
16:27
Laura: Motion, make bunny ears.
16:30
Laura: Let's practice.
16:31
Laura: Medicine rabbit, pound, pound, stir.
16:37
Laura: Mochi rabbit, take a pretend bite.
16:42
Laura: Kindness hare, hands on heart, open outward.
16:50
Laura: Moonlight rabbit, let's see those bunny ears.
16:54
Laura: Wonderful.
16:55
Laura: Your ears are listening, your hands are ready, and your moon story memory is glowing.
17:02
Laura: Let's play.
17:04
Laura: Question one.
17:05
Laura: This rabbit is connected with a special moon viewing tradition where people enjoy the beauty of the autumn moon.
17:15
Laura: Which one?
17:16
Thinking: Hmm
17:17
Laura: Mochi Rabbit, take a pretend bite.
17:22
Laura: Question two.
17:24
Laura: This rabbit is remembered in a story connected with Quetzalcoatl, who places the rabbit's shape in the night sky for people to see.
17:34
Laura: Which one?
17:36
Thinking: Hmm
17:37
Laura: Moonlight rabbit, bunny ears.
17:42
Laura: Question three.
17:44
Laura: This story includes three animal friends who bring the foods they usually eat, but one animal worries that grass will not be enough for a hungry traveler.
17:55
Laura: Which one?
17:57
Thinking: Hmm
17:58
Laura: Kindness hare, hands on heart, open outward.
18:06
Laura: Question four.
18:07
Laura: In this tradition, the rabbit is connected to a goddess who floated to the moon after drinking a magical elixir.
18:17
Laura: Which one?
18:19
Thinking: Hmm
18:20
Laura: Medicine rabbit, pound, pound, stir.
18:26
Laura: And here's a bonus question.
18:29
Laura: Why do so many cultures have moon rabbit stories?
18:33
Laura: A, because rabbits build a secret elevator to the moon.
18:38
Laura: B, because people around the world looked at the same moon markings and imagined a rabbit.
18:45
Laura: Or C, because the moon is actually a giant carrot.
18:49
Thinking: Hmm
18:50
Laura: The answer is B.
18:52
Laura: Although, if the moon were a giant carrot, the moon rabbit would be thrilled.
18:58
Laura: Give yourselves a soft moon clap.
19:02
Laura: What's inside our belief backpack this week?
19:08
Laura: Every episode, we add something to our Belief Backpack.
19:13
Laura: Not a real backpack with zippers and snack crumbs at the bottom.
19:17
Laura: Our Belief Backpack is where we keep ideas, values, lessons we can carry with us.
19:26
Laura: Today's Belief Backpack takeaway is, I may be small, but my kindness can shine far.
19:33
Laura: The rabbit in these stories is not the biggest animal.
19:37
Laura: It is not the strongest.
19:39
Laura: It is not the loudest.
19:41
Laura: Again and again, these stories show the rabbit as generous, helpful, hardworking, comforting, and remembered.
19:52
Laura: That means you do not have to be the biggest kid in class to make a difference.
19:57
Laura: You do not have to have the loudest voice.
20:00
Laura: You do not have to solve every problem.
20:03
Laura: You can share.
20:05
Laura: You can help.
20:06
Laura: You can be a little light, and little lights matter.
20:11
Laura: This week's challenge is called Moonbeam Kindness.
20:15
Laura: Sometime this week, look up at the moon, then think of one small kindness you can do.
20:22
Laura: Maybe you can help set the table.
20:25
Laura: Maybe you can draw a picture for someone who needs cheering up.
20:30
Laura: Maybe you let someone else choose the game.
20:33
Laura: Then after you do it, imagine the kindness shining like a tiny moonbeam.
20:40
Laura: Because who knows?
20:41
Laura: Maybe someone else will see your kindness and pass it on.
20:46
Laura: Thanks for joining me for the very first adventure in Sky Stories: Wonder Written in the Stars.
20:52
Laura: Today, we discovered that the moon is more than a rock in the sky.
20:57
Laura: People around the world have looked up, seen a rabbit, and told stories of generosity and kindness.
21:05
Laura: So tonight, or the next time you see the moon, give it a little wave.
21:10
Laura: And if you see the rabbit, tell it Laura says hi...
21:14
Laura: Actually, tell it to save me some mochi.
21:16
Laura: I'm Laura, and I'll see you next time on Faithfully Explore.
21:20
Laura: Remember to stay curious, stay kind, and keep faithfully exploring the wonderful world around you.
21:27
Laura: Faithfully Explore!
21:29
Laura: is about you
21:35
Faithfully Explore! Outro: Let's grow kinder together it's true