Full Moon names date back to Native
Americans of the northern and eastern United States. Tribes kept track of
the seasons by giving distinctive names to each recurring full Moon.
European settlers followed that custom and also created some of their own
names.
• January -
Wolf Moon - Amid the cold and
deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily outside Indian
villages. Thus, the name for January's full Moon. Sometimes it was also
referred to as the Old Moon, or the Moon After Yule. Some called it the
Full Snow Moon, but most tribes applied that name to the next Moon.
• February - Snow Moon - Since the
heaviest snow usually falls during this month, native tribes of the north
and east most often called February's full Moon the Full Snow Moon. Some
tribes also referred to this Moon as the Full Hunger Moon, since harsh
weather conditions in their areas made hunting very difficult.
• March - Worm Moon - As the
temperature begins to warm and the ground begins to thaw, earthworm casts
appear, heralding the return of the robins. The more northern tribes knew
this Moon as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signaled the end
of winter; or the Full Crust Moon, because the snow cover becomes crusted
from thawing by day and freezing at night. The Full Sap Moon, marking the
time of tapping maple trees, is another variation. To the settlers, it was
also known as the Lenten Moon, and was considered to be the last full Moon
of winter.
• April - Pink Moon - This name came
from the herb moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the earliest
widespread flowers of the spring. Other names for this month's celestial
body include the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and among coastal
tribes the Full Fish Moon, because this was the time that the shad swam
upstream to spawn.
• May - Flower Moon - In most areas,
flowers are abundant everywhere during this time. Thus, the name of this
Moon. Other names include the Full Corn Planting Moon, or the Milk Moon.
• June - Strawberry Moon - This name
was universal to every Algonquin tribe because the relatively short season
for harvesting strawberries comes during June. In Europe they called it the
Full Rose Moon.
• July
- Buck Moon - July is normally the month when the new antlers
of buck deer push out of their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur. It was
also often called the Full Thunder Moon, for the reason that thunderstorms
are most frequent during this time. Another name for this month's Moon was
the Full Hay Moon.
•
August - Sturgeon Moon - The
fishing tribes are given credit for the naming of this Moon, since
sturgeon, a large fish of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water,
were most readily caught during this month. A few tribes knew it as the
Full Red Moon because, as the Moon rises, it appears reddish through any
sultry haze. It was also called the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon.
• September - Harvest Moon - This is
the full Moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox. In two years out
of three, the Harvest Moon comes in September, but in some years it occurs
in October. At the peak of harvest, farmers can work late into the night by
the light of this Moon. Corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and wild rice the
chief Indian staples are now ready for gathering.
• October - Hunter's Moon - With the
leaves falling and the deer fattened, it is time to hunt. Since the fields
have been reaped, hunters can easily see fox and the animals which have
come out to glean.
• November - Beaver Moon - This was
the time to set beaver traps before the swamps froze, to ensure a supply of
warm winter furs. Another interpretation suggests that the name Full Beaver
Moon comes from the fact that the beavers are now actively preparing for
winter. It is sometimes also referred to as the Frosty Moon.
• December - Cold Moon or Full Long
Nights Moon - During this month the winter cold fastens its grip, and
nights are at their longest and darkest. The term Long Nights Moon is a
doubly appropriate name because the midwinter night is indeed long and the
Moon is above the horizon for an extended period of time.
• Blue Moon - Whenever two full
Moons appear in the same month (on average every 2 1/2 to 3 years), the
second is called a 'Blue Moon'. Hence, the phrase "Once in a Blue
Moon."
