What is Kanji?

Kanji literally means "Han characters". It is used to write Japanese along with subsequent syllabic scripts, hiragana and katakana.

The Nihon Shoki, or Chronicles of Japan, are written entirely in Kanji. It is the second-oldest book of classical Japanese history. It begins with the Japanese creation myth, detailing the birth of Japan.

What is Amavasya?

Amavasya comes from Sanskrit ama - meaning together and vasya - meaning to dwell or cohabit. It describes the Moon before conjuction - the night before the Sun and Moon line up in a straight line. In English, this is "night before syzygy".

Meaning of Tithi

A "tithi" is a lunar day in the Hindu calendar. 

The technical definition is the time taken for the longitudinal angle between the Sun and Moon to increase by twelve degrees.

Longitudinal refers to longitude, measured from East to West (latitude is the angular distance of a point North or South of the Earth's equator, measure at 0 degrees at the equator, -90 degrees at the South pole and 90 degrees at the North pole).

There are 30 tithis in a lunar month.

Sharad Purnima

Sharad purnima means "autumn full moon". It is also Valmiki Jayanti, birth day of Valmiki who composed the Ramayana.

America's Smoky Mountains

America's Smoky Mountains (within America's most visited National Park) in Tennessee are a great place to see Fall foliage. Spruce-fir forests, roaring waterfalls and year-round wildflower blooms surround the onlooker. It has 800 miles of trail. Staying on marked trails is advised to prevent getting lost. Proper footwear is needed for hiking.