We updated our “weather station” recently and it got a new icon showing the phases of the moon.
Well, that got me to thinking about the moon — we have a pretty good view of the sky where we live and there’s not too much ambient light around, so we often comment on the moon’s brightness, etc.
The phases of the moon are determined by the amount of direct sunlight that shines on the moon’s surface at any given point in time. The location of the moon, relative to the sun and earth, determines the different moon phases. The first quarter moon and last quarter moon occur when both the moon and the Earth are the same distance away from the sun, illuminating half of the moon. These moon phases are referred to as “quarter” moons because when the moon is in this position, it has either completed one quarter of its orbit, or has one quarter of its orbit left to be completed. A full moon appears when the moon is the farthest away from the sun, exposing the fully illuminated surface of the moon to people on Earth. The new moon phase occurs when the moon’s orbit takes it closest to the sun. At this point, the sun is illuminating the “far” side of the moon, leaving the dark or un-illuminated side facing the Earth.
It seems like full Moons are referred to by their “names” more lately, or maybe I’m just noticing it more. The full Moon names that we normally use date back to Native Americans who live in what is now the northeastern United States. The tribes kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to each recurring full Moon. When the European settlers arrived, they adopted the customs (and also created some of their own names.)
I thought it might be interesting to do some extensive research on the names we’ll be seeing for the full Moons this year. The first full moon of 2021 will occur on January 28th and be called the Wolf Moon. Here’s some possible reasons the Moons got their names…
January (Wolf Moon) — During the cold and snow of midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily outside Indian villages, so the name Wolf Moon stuck. Sometimes the January Moon was also referred to as the Old Moon or the Moon After Yule. Some called it the Full Snow Moon, but most tribes used that name for the February Moon.
February (Snow Moon) — Since the heaviest snow usually fell during February, native tribes of the north and east most often called the full Moon the 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 began to warm and the ground began to thaw, earthworms appeared. The more northern tribes knew this Moon as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signaled the end of winter… it was also called the Full Crust Moon because the snow cover became crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night. Another name sometimes used was the Full Sap Moon because that time of year signaled the tapping of maple trees. To the settlers, it was 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 the April Moon included the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon and, among the 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 were abundant everywhere in May, giving rise to name Flower Moon. Other names included the Full Corn Planting Moon, or the Milk Moon.
June (Strawberry Moon) — Named because the relatively short season for harvesting strawberries comes each year during the month of June. In Europe the June Moon is often called the Rose Moon.
July (Buck Moon) — July was normally the month when the new antlers of buck deer pushed out of their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur. This Moon was also called the Full Thunder Moon, because thunderstorms were most frequent during this time. Another name was the Full Hay Moon.
August (Sturgeon Moon) — This Moon was named by the fishing tribes. Sturgeon, a large fish of the Great Lakes and other bodies of water, were most readily caught during August. Some tribes knew it as the Full Red Moon because, as the Moon rises, it appeared reddish through the haze. Other names were Green Corn Moon and Grain Moon.
September (Harvest Moon) — Also called the Corn Moon by the Native Americans because it marked when corn was supposed to be harvested. (Most often, the September full Moon is actually the Harvest Moon — the name given to the full Moon that occurs closest to the fall equinox. In two years out three, the Harvest Moon is September, but in some years it occurs in October.)
October (Hunter’s Moon) — The October Moon is often referred to as the hunter’s Moon, Blood Moon, or Sanguine Moon. The name for this moon is pretty obvious… the leaves were falling from trees, the deer were fattened, and it was time to begin storing meat for the long winter ahead. The fields were traditionally reaped in September or early October so hunters could easily see fox and other animals that came out to collect food from the fallen grains. The Hunter’s Moon was generally treated with special honor, historically serving as an important feast day in both Western Europe and among many Native American tribes —probably because of the coming winter.
November (Beaver Moon) — This was the time to set beaver traps before the swamps froze, to ensure a supply of winter furs. Some suggest that the name Beaver Moon comes from the fact that the beavers were actively preparing for winter. It’s also sometimes referred to as the Frosty Moon.
December (Cold Moon) — During this month the winter cold tightened its grip, and nights were at their longest and darkest. This Moon is also sometimes called the Moon before Yule as well as Long Night’s Moon — an appropriate name because the midwinter night is long and because the Moon is above the horizon for a long time.
Besides naming the Moon, we’ve worked the word into our language in various ways — people often say that something is over the moon, or that something happens only once in a blue moon and sometimes we describe long-ago events as many moons ago, some people ask for, or promise, the moon. And of course people go on honeymoons and here in West Virginia we often partake of moonshine.
But it doesn’t matter if you’re on a first name basis with the Moon or not… just remember that we’re all under the same sky, looking at the same Moon.
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