September is the month to celebrate the rabbit on the moon. 

Starbucks has been delighting fans in Japan with gorgeous seasonal drinkware, but that doesn’t mean we’re the only country to be spoilt with cute collections. Now, Starbucks Hong Kong is treating their local customers to an adorable range featuring the bunny on the moon.

Why the bunny on the moon? In many Asian cultures, the markings of the moon that we know to be “the man on the moon” are said to resemble a rabbit pounding mochi rice, which is symbolic of the autumn harvest.

▼ Can you see the rabbit bent over its mortar – hand raised, pestle in air – with its two long bunny ears tilted to the right?

The rabbit on the moon is recognised annually in East Asia during the eighth month of the lunar calendar, when the Mid-Autumn Festival is held. This year, the festival will be celebrated on 13 September, when the full moon rises during the evening.

This is the time to eat Mooncakes, round pastries with sweet fillings like bean paste, which are usually enjoyed with tea whilst admiring the moon. For Starbucks fans, moon-watching will be even better this year with the new range of bunny-themed mugs, cups and tumblers available for a limited time.

The full range covers not only drinkware, as it includes a plate, a magnet, and even a bunny face pouch as well. Each item features the white rabbit as the main star of the show, with hues of blue tying the range together, and if you look closely, you’ll see meteor trails tailing coffee bean comets on the designs.

The full 14-piece collection can be viewed on the official Starbucks Hong Kong website. While we’re still waiting for bunny mugs to make their way over to Starbucks Japan one day, we’ll have to make do with our Apple Jelly Frappuccinos and Starbucks Milk Carton Notebooks for now.

Featured image: Starbucks Hong Kong
Insert images: Flickr/Bruce Tuten, Flickr/Tadashi Sawada, Starbucks Hong Kong
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[ Read in Japanese ]