Have you ever heard someone use the phrase “once in a blue moon?” People use this
expression to describe something that they do not do very often. For example, someone
might say that he tries to avoid eating sweets because they are unhealthy, but will eat
chocolate “once in a blue moon.” Or someone who does not usually like to go to the beach
might say “I visit the shore once in a blue moon.” While many people use this phrase, not
everyone knows the meaning behind it.
The first thing to know is that the moon itself is never actually blue. This is just an
expression. The phrase “blue moon” actually has to do with the shape of the moon, not the
colour. As the moon travels around the earth, it appears to change shape. We associate
certain names with certain shapes of the moon. For example, when we can see a small part of
the moon, it is called a crescent moon. A crescent is a shape that looks like the tip of a
fingernail. When we cannot see the moon at all, it is called a new moon. When we can see
the entire moon, it is called a full moon. Usually, there is only one full moon every month.
Sometimes, however, there will be two full moons in one month. When this happens, the
second full moon is called a “blue moon.” Over the next 20 years, there will only be 15 blue
moons. As you can see, a blue moon is a very rare event. This fact has led people to use the
expression “once in a blue moon” to describe other very rare events in their lives.
Find the words from the passage that the mean same as:
not occurring very often (line 16) - ______________________
Answers
Explanation:
Answer:-
not occurring very often - Once in a blue moon.
Why its said so, that is also given in the passage.
Additional Information:-
- Blue moon is a rare form of moon, which occurs very few times.
- It is also known in myths that in moon, a blue rabbit stays.
- This is the story:-
The Blue Rabbit:-
It is said that the blue rabbit was the past form of Lord Buddha, the wise one. Once, there were 3 friends, a rabbit, a turtle and a deer. They were very generous and helpful. One day, a thirsty and hungry man, actually a monk was passing by the forest. He was almost unconscious, for God's sake, he was noticed by the three friends.
They went to arrange some food for him. But the food they had arranged was too little for the monk. "We have to do something else" said the rabbit. Suddenly he lit up some wood and fire, and to cherish the hunger of the monk, he sacrificed his life. The monk pitied on him and blessed him that he will be the blue rabbit of the moon.
Even now, we can see the rabbit on the moon, its marks.
It is truly said by Lord Buddha,"Nothing can be hidden too long ; the moon, the sun and the truth ".
[This was the first passage from where I learned the word sacrifice.]
There are many forms of the moon and out of the unique ones, are the bloòdy moon or the red moon, then is the blue moon, and another, the supermoon. As the new year will approach, you will see the moon grow bigger on size due to earth's rotation. This will give rise to Supermoon, keep an eye on the sky, 31st December 2020. The scene is not capturable by camera, but mesmerising to be seen by our own eyes.
This year was actually special, although many think it wasn't.
This year, I witnessed (I mean, who know all the celestial informations, those all people) the special moon towards the start of 2020, the Blue moon, Red moon and Supermoon came together. This happens only once in 150 years, congrats to those who noticed this!