bunsforlife
Well-Known Member
Full Wolf Moon - January Amid the coldand deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily outsideIndian villages. Thus, the name for January's full Moon. Sometimes itwas also referred to as the Old Moon, or the Moon After Yule. Somecalled it the Full Snow Moon, but most tribes applied that name to thenext Moon.
Full Snow Moon - February Sincethe heaviest snow usually falls during this month, native tribes of thenorth and east most often called February's full Moon the Full SnowMoon. Some tribes also referred to this Moon as the Full Hunger Moon,since harsh weather conditions in their areas made hunting verydifficult.
Full Worm - March Moon As the temperaturebegins to warm and the ground begins to thaw, earthworm casts appear,heralding the return of the robins. The more northern tribes knew thisMoon as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signaled the endof winter; or the Full Crust Moon, because the snow cover becomescrusted from thawing by day and freezing at night. The Full Sap Moon,marking the time of tapping maple trees, is another variation. To thesettlers, it was also known as the Lenten Moon, and was considered tobe the last full Moon of winter.
Full Pink Moon - April This name camefrom the herb moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of theearliest widespread flowers of the spring. Other names for this month'scelestial body include the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, andamong coastal tribes the Full Fish Moon, because this was the time thatthe shad swam upstream to spawn.
Full Flower Moon - May In most areas,flowers are abundant everywhere during this time. Thus, the name ofthis Moon. Other names include the Full Corn Planting Moon, or the MilkMoon.
Full Strawberry Moon - June This name wasuniversal to every Algonquin tribe. However, in Europe they called itthe Rose Moon. Also because the relatively short season for harvestingstrawberries comes each year during the month of June . . . so the fullMoon that occurs during that month was christened for the strawberry!
The Full Buck Moon - July July isnormally the month when the new antlers of buck deer push out of theirforeheads in coatings of velvety fur. It was also often called the FullThunder Moon, for the reason that thunderstorms are most frequentduring this time. Another name for this month's Moon was the Full HayMoon.
Full Sturgeon Moon - July The fishingtribes are given credit for the naming of this Moon, since sturgeon, alarge fish of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water, weremost readily caught during this month. A few tribes knew it as the FullRed Moon because, as the Moon rises, it appears reddish through anysultry haze. It was also called the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon.
Full Fruit or Barley Moon - AugustThe names Fruit and Barley were reserved only for those years when theHarvest Moon is very late in September.
Full Harvest Moon - September Thisis the full Moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox. In twoyears out of three, the Harvest Moon comes in September, but in someyears it occurs in October. At the peak of harvest, farmers can worklate into the night by the light of this Moon. Usually the full Moonrises an average of 50 minutes later each night, but for the few nightsaround the Harvest Moon, the Moon seems to rise at nearly the same timeeach night: just 25 to 30 minutes later across the U.S., and only 10 to20 minutes later for much of Canada and Europe. Corn, pumpkins, squash,beans, and wild rice the chief Indian staples are now ready forgathering.
Full Hunter's Moon - October Withthe leaves falling and the deer fattened, it is time to hunt. Since thefields have been reaped, hunters can easily see fox and the animalswhich have come out to glean.
Full Beaver Moon - November Thiswas the time to set beaver traps before the swamps froze, to ensure asupply of warm winter furs. Another interpretation suggests that thename Full Beaver Moon comes from the fact that the beavers are nowactively preparing for winter. It is sometimes also referred to as theFrosty Moon.
The Full Cold Moon; or the Full LongNights Moon - December During this month the winter coldfastens its grip, and nights are at their longest and darkest. It isalso sometimes called the Moon before Yule. The term Long Night Moon isa doubly appropriate name because the midwinter night is indeed long,and because the Moon is above the horizon for a long time. Themidwinter full Moon has a high trajectory across the sky because it isopposite a low Sun.
Got it off the Farmer's Almanac site =) thought it was interesting!
