This month’s full moon will occur tonight…. July’s full moon is most commonly known as the Buck Moon, but some also call it the Full Thunder Moon. The Buck Moon was named by the Algonquin tribes that lived in the northeastern United States because it appears at the time of year when male deer regrow their antlers. It’s often called the Thunder Moon due to the frequent thunderstorms that are common in the summer.
Europeans often call the July full moon the Full Hay Moon — for the haymaking in June and July. For Hindus, Buddhists and Jains, this is the Guru Full Moon (Guru Puriima,) celebrated as a time for clearing the mind and honoring the guru or spiritual master.
For Theravada Buddhists, this full moon is Asalha Puha, also known as Dharma Day or Esala Poya, an important festival celebrating Buddha’s first sermon. The day of the full moon of Waso (the fourth month of the traditional Burmese lunisolar calendar) marks the start of the three-month annual Buddhist retreat called Vassa.
Tonight’s full moon will have an extra reddish or orange hue to it because of ash from the wildfires raging out west. The moon or sun near the horizon always looks reddish because it is being viewed through more of the Earth’s air, but the wildfire ash makes the effect more prominent.
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