Full Moon names date back to Native Americans,
of what is now the northern and eastern United States. The tribes 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 was some
variation in the Moon names, but in general, the same ones were current
throughout the Algonquin tribes from New England to Lake Superior. European
settlers followed that custom and created some of their own names. Since the
lunar month is only 29 days long on the average, the full Moon dates shift from
year to year. Here is the Farmers Almanac’s list of the full Moon names.
• Full Wolf
Moon – January 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.
• Full Snow
Moon – February 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.
• Full Worm
Moon – March 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.
• Full Pink
Moon – April 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.
• Full Flower
Moon – May 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.
• Full
Strawberry Moon – June This name was universal to every Algonquin
tribe. However, in Europe they called it the Rose Moon. Also because the relatively
short season for harvesting strawberries comes each year during the month of
June . . . so the full Moon that occurs during that month was christened for
the strawberry!
• The Full
Buck Moon – July 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.
• Full Sturgeon
Moon – August 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.
• Full Corn
Moon or Full Harvest Moon – September This full moon’s name is
attributed to Native Americans because it marked when corn was supposed to be
harvested. Most often, the September full moon is actually the Harvest Moon,
which 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. 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
U.S., and only 10 to 20 minutes later for much of Canada and Europe. Corn,
pumpkins, squash, beans, and wild rice the chief Indian staples are now ready
for gathering.
• Full
Hunter’s Moon or Full Harvest Moon – October This full Moon is often
referred to as the Full Hunter’s Moon, Blood Moon, or Sanguine Moon. Many moons
ago, Native Americans named this bright moon for obvious reasons. The leaves
are falling from trees, the deer are fattened, and it’s time to begin storing
up meat for the long winter ahead. Because the fields were traditionally reaped
in late September or early October, hunters could easily see fox and other
animals that come out to glean from the fallen grains. Probably because of the
threat of winter looming close, the Hunter’s Moon is generally accorded with
special honor, historically serving as an important feast day in both Western
Europe and among many Native American tribes.
• Full Beaver
Moon – November 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.
• The Full
Cold Moon; or the Full Long Nights Moon – December During this month
the winter cold fastens its grip, and nights are at their longest and darkest.
It is also sometimes called the Moon before Yule. The term Long Night Moon is a
doubly appropriate name because the midwinter night is indeed long, and because
the Moon is above the horizon for a long time. The midwinter full Moon has a
high trajectory across the sky because it is opposite a low Sun.
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