What Are The Names Of Full Moons By Month?
QUICK ANSWER
Each month's full moon has a traditional name from Native American and European traditions. The common modern names are: Wolf (January), Snow (February), Worm (March), Pink (April), Flower (May), Strawberry (June), Buck (July), Sturgeon (August), Harvest (September), Hunter's (October), Beaver (November), and Cold (December).
Most months have a traditional name for their full moon, based on natural events or seasonal activities. The familiar list comes mostly from Algonquin Native American traditions, popularized by the Maine Farmer's Almanac in the 1930s. Other Native American tribes and European traditions had their own names. The familiar names today are mostly the Algonquin versions, but many alternatives exist across cultures.
Where do these names come from?
Mostly Algonquin tribes. According to NASA, the Maine Farmer's Almanac first published Native American names for the full Moons in the 1930s. The names most commonly used today are mostly from Algonquin tribes of what is now the northeastern United States. Each name reflects a seasonal feature: animals' behavior, weather, plant growth, or human activities. Old European traditions had separate names for the same moons, often emphasizing different aspects of the same seasons. Both naming traditions remain in use today.
What are the 12 standard names?
Wolf, Snow, Worm, Pink, Flower, Strawberry, Buck, Sturgeon, Harvest, Hunter's, Beaver, Cold. January is the Wolf Moon (wolves howling in midwinter). February is the Snow Moon (heavy snowfall). March is the Worm Moon (earthworms emerging). April is the Pink Moon (pink phlox flowers). May is the Flower Moon (peak spring blooms). June is the Strawberry Moon (strawberry harvest). July is the Buck Moon (deer growing antlers). August is the Sturgeon Moon (sturgeon caught easily). September is usually the Harvest Moon. October is the Hunter's Moon. November is the Beaver Moon (beavers preparing for winter). December is the Cold Moon.
What about the Harvest Moon timing?
It floats between September and October. Most months have a fixed full moon name, but the Harvest Moon is special. It's defined as the full moon closest to the autumn equinox (September 22-23), so it usually falls in September but sometimes in early October. When the Harvest Moon falls in October, September's full moon is called the Corn Moon instead, and October's becomes the Hunter's Moon. This flexibility reflects the importance of the equinox in the seasonal naming tradition.
Are there alternative names?
Many across cultures. Different Native American tribes used different names: Cherokee, Lakota, Cree, Anishinaabe, and others each had distinct moon names reflecting their regions. Old European names exist too: April was sometimes the Egg Moon, June was the Mead Moon or Honey Moon, December was the Long Nights Moon. Asian traditions (especially Chinese) have their own moon naming and festival traditions. Modern terms like blue moon (for second full moons in a month) and supermoon are recent additions to a long historical tradition.
Each month's full moon has a traditional name. The familiar list (Wolf, Snow, Worm, Pink, Flower, Strawberry, Buck, Sturgeon, Harvest, Hunter's, Beaver, Cold) comes mostly from Algonquin tribes, popularized by the Maine Farmer's Almanac in the 1930s. The Harvest Moon is special; it floats between September and October based on the autumn equinox. Many alternative names exist across Native American, European, and Asian cultures.
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