Introduction
Over the centuries many cultures have given very descriptive
names to the full moons that appear each month. These names in turn tell us a
lot about how the full moon for that month influences nature.
This post describes each full moon and the influence that
each full moon has on nature.
Full Moon Names
January: The Wolf Moon
Also called the Snow Moon, where the howls of wolves is
heard more frequently than any other time of the year.
February: The Snow Moon
Also called the Hunger Moon, where the snow levels are at
their peak for the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Hunting conditions are also
more difficult and it is common for tribes living off hunting to pass through
hunger.
March: The Worm Moon
Called this because the snow melts and the earthworms begin
to emerge from their winters dwellings beneath the ground’s surface. Also
called the Lenten Moon, Crust Moon, Crow Moon and Sap Moon, where respectively,
Christian’s thought of it as the last moon in winter, crust forms on the snow
from constant thawing and refreezing, crows begin cawing and the sap of maple
trees are best harvested.
April: The Pink Moon
Also called the Sprouting Grass Moon, Egg Moon and the Fish
Moon. At this point spring in the Northern Hemisphere has arrived and the
ground is covered with the pink flowers from wild grass such as the wild ground
phlox.
May: The Flower Moon
Flowers in the Northern Hemisphere come to full bloom and
corn is ready to be planted. It is also called the Corn Planting Moon and the
Milk Moon.
June: The Strawberry Moon
In the Northern Hemisphere at this time strawberry picking
reaches its yearly high.
July: The Buck Moon
Buck deer start growing hair over their antlers.
August: The Sturgeon Moon
The month where Sturgeon fish are most easily caught. Also
called the Red Moon where the August summer hazes slightly colour the Moon red.
Also called the Grain Moon where grain is harvested.
September: The Harvest Moon
In the Northern Hemisphere this is the opportune time to
harvest many foods such as all types of grain, squash, pumpkins, beans, rice etc.
October: The Hunter’s Moon
This is the best time to go hunting because the winter is
coming and stock levels need to be high to pass through winter.
November: The Beaver Moon
At this time the beavers are preparing for winter, and are
easy to trap and build a store of fur for winter. It has also been called the
frost moon as frost begins to settle.
December: The Cold Moon
At this time winter has fully set in and temperatures drop
severely. This moon is also called the Long Night Moon because the winter
nights get longer with there being more night than day.
Full Moon’s Influence
Some of the moon names describe the influence that the full
moon has at a particular time of the year. These full moons are really for January,
August and October, where the full moon influences behaviour of wolves in January
with their more frequent howling, the increased activity of Sturgeon fish in
August and the mating of deer in October.
Full Moon Peaks activity
The names given are really season dependent. However, it
turns out that the full moon only really represents the peak of the phenomena occurring
in that month. For example, in October, the full moon brings about a peak in
the mating of deer and so it is easier for hunters to catch deer as they are
busy mating instead of moving.
Conclusion
These names are ones that we don’t commonly hear about in
everyday life but they have always been there. Knowing them just adds a little
bit more to our awareness of what is going on in nature in each month of the
year.
Please note, the full moon influence for each month is
different for each hemisphere, so that must be taken into account as well.
End (15).
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