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While the Harvest Moon rings a bell in most heads, some of the other monthly lunar names are nowhere near as well known. Think pink. and worm, and strawberries and wolves. Or how about Sturgeon? Full Moon names in the United States date back primarily to Native Americans who lived in what is now the northern and eastern United States. Those tribes of a few hundred years ago kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to each recurring full Moon. Their names were applied to the entire month in which each occurred. There were some variations in the Moon names, but in general the same ones were current throughout the Algonquin tribes from New England and westward to Lake Superior. European settlers followed their own customs and created some of their own names. Since the lunar synodic month is roughly 29.5 days in length on average, the dates of the full Moon shift from year to year.
Wolf Moon
Amid the zero cold and deep snows of midwinter, wolf packs howled hungrily outside Native American villages. It was also known as the Old Moon or the Moon After Yule. For some tribes this was the Full Snow Moon, a name more often applied to the February moon.
Snow Moon
Usually the heaviest snows fall in this month. Hunting becomes very difficult, and hence to some Native American tribes this was the Full Hunger Moon.
Worm Moon
In this month the ground softens and earthworm casts reappear, inviting the return of robins. More northern tribes knew this as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signals winter's end, or the Full Crust Moon because snow becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night. The Full Sap Moon, marking the time of tapping maple trees, is another variation
Pink Moon
The grass pink or wild ground phlox is one of the earliest widespread flowers of spring. Other names were the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and -- among coastal tribes -- the Full Fish Moon, when the shad came upstream to spawn.
Flower Moon
Flowers are abundant everywhere at this time of year. It was also known as the Full Corn Planting Moon or the Milk Moon.
Strawberry Moon
Known to every Algonquin tribe. Europeans called it the Rose Moon.
Buck Moon
This Moon coincides with the time when new antlers of buck deer push out from their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur. It was also often called the Full Thunder Moon, thunderstorms being now most frequent. Sometimes also called the Full Hay Moon.
Sturgeon Moon
A time when this large fish of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water like Lake Champlain is most readily caught. A few tribes knew it as the Full Red Moon, because the moon rises looking reddish through sultry haze, or the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon
Harvest Moon
Traditionally, this designation goes to the Full Moon that occurs closest to the Autumnal (Fall) Equinox. In two years out of three, the Harvest Moon comes in September, but every third year it occurs in October. At the peak of the harvest, farmers can work into the night by the light of this Moon. Usually the Full Moon rises an average of 50 minutes later each night, but for the few nights around the Harvest Moon, the Moon seems to rise at nearly the same time each night: just 25 to 30 minutes later across the United States, and only 10 to 20 minutes later for much of Canada and Europe. Corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and wild rice -- the chief Native American staples -- are now ready for gathering. Question: What happens when the Harvest Full Moon comes late? The names Fruit or Barley Moon are reserved only for those years when the Harvest Moon comes very late in September or in early October. In such situations, the full Moon occurring immediately prior to the Harvest Moon (in late August or early September) is bestowed with the title of Fruit or Barley.
Hunter’s Moon
With the leaves falling and the deer fattened, it is time to hunt. Since the fields have been reaped, hunters can ride over the stubble, and can more easily see the fox, as well as other animals that have come out to glean and can be caught for a thanksgiving banquet after the harvest
Beaver Moon
Time to set beaver traps before the swamps freeze to ensure a supply of warm winter furs. Another interpretation suggests that the name Beaver Moon comes from the fact that the beavers are now active in their preparation for winter. Also called the Frosty Moon.
Cold Moon
Among some tribes, this is called the Long Nights Moon. In this month the winter cold fastens its grip, and the nights are at their longest and darkest. Also sometimes called the Moon before Yule (Yule is Christmas, and this time the full Moon comes before it). The term Long Night Moon is a doubly appropriate name because the midwinter night is indeed long and the Moon is above the horizon a long time. The midwinter full Moon takes a high trajectory across the sky because it is opposite to the low Sun. | |
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Last Updated 12-07-05