Full Moons Have Names?

[MrB398]

I just saw on space.com an article showing the names of all 2008s full moons.
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/0801...oon-names.html

Interesting, I didn't realize full moons were given names like those :-p

[geonuc]

The various moons have many names, depending on the tradition (Wiccan, native american, etc.).

[Dave Mitsky]

Interesting, I didn't realize full moons were given names like those :-p

I mention some of the common Full Moon names each month in my monthly AstroCalendar.

http://www.bautforum.com/astronomica...ocalendar.html

Here are some other sources:

http://www.almanac.com/astronomy/moonnames.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_moon

Dave Mitsky

[KaiYeves]

Yes, the First Nations people gave each one a name. A lot of my friends are First Nations.

[Gillianren]

We name months, after all. The difference is that our months don't directly correspond to the phases of the Moon.

Actually, I just read a book called Tex and Molly in the Afterlife that mentioned various names for the full Moon a few times. I'm not sure whose names for them they were using, though in pretty much every case, they mentioned that somebody else called it something else.

[mike alexander]

Some new names are needed, like Superbowl Moon for January, or NHLplayoff Moon for June.

[Maksutov]

Some new names are needed, like Superbowl Moon for January, or NHLplayoff Moon for June.

There's something intrinsically ironic about icing being called in June in the northern hemisphere.

OK,

January: Superbowl Moon (occasionally occurs in February, once in an NFC Central Division Moon)
February: Appeasement Moon (if it occurs within a week of Feb. 14th), otherwise Woodchuck Moon
March: Mud Moon
April: Tax Moon
May: Bug Moon
June: NHLplayoff Moon
July: All-Star Moon
August: Sweat Moon
September: Back-to-school Moon (AKA Parents' Moon)
October: Bradbury Moon, sometimes called the Reggie Jackson Moon
November: Turkey Moon
December: Fruitcake Moon

My favorite North American nickname is the Hunger Moon. Makes one want to become an Adirondack, or at least a latilontak.

[geonuc]

This is something I have relating to Wiccan tradition and moon names:

The names of the moons appear to derive principally from ancient Celtic lore, which assigned names of trees (and one plant: ivy) to each month. The Celtic year began at Samhain and continued through twelve or thirteen appearances of the full moon. Some references say the Celtic year now (whatever ‘now’ means) starts with the full moon nearest Yule. In any case, it is pretty difficult to correlate Celtic moons with those of Wicca, which are based on the modern monthly calendar. The other names for the moons seem to hinge on seasonal occurrences, such as the time of the first snowfall.

Several of the names presented below appear to be Frankish in origin (those that use ‘manoth’ for ‘month’), perhaps from the time of Charlemagne (c. 800 A.D.). Although Charlemagne was christian, his Frankish kingdom was still largely pagan. The names that use the term ‘monath’ come from the Anglo-Saxon Heathen calendar . Finally, there are a few names that have to be Native American in origin. Keeping track of those would be a full time task.

January

Wolf Moon This Moon marks the time of year when the wolves were driven by hunger of the Winter. The wolves would come closer to the village now more then any other time of year. The family often sat about the home fires and listened to the haunting calls of the wolves.

Also called : Quiet, Snow, Cold, Chaste, Disting, Moon of Little Winter

February

Quickening Moon, Storm Moon (also March) This Moon marks the time when Winter is officially banished. Spring has been born and with it the birth of all Nature. At this time everything in Nature is pure potential waiting for fulfillment. This marks the Quickening, the renewal of all things.

Also called: Ice, Horning, Hunger, Wild, Red & Cleansing, Quickening, Solmonath (Sun Moon), Big Winter Moon.

March

Hare Moon, Worm Moon, Sap Moon, Chaste Moon This Moon marks the celebration of Spring. It is the observance of the return of the Goddess in her Maiden form. At this time we prepare for planting. We bless the seeds for the crops that will produce this year’s harvests. Ritual fires are burned to encourage the Sun to warm the soils from the cold of the Winter and stir all the living things (the worms) beneath it.

Also called: Storm, Seed, Moon of Winds, Plow, Worm, Hrethmonath (Hertha’s month), Lentninmanoth (Renewal month), Lenting, Moon of the Snowblind

April

Seed Moon, Sprouting Grass Moon, Wind Moon, Pink Moon This Moon marks the observance of the Magick of all gardens and the practitioners that keep them. We acknowledge the connection between gardening and magick deliberately by creating sacred space dedicated to the Craft. We mark the birth of the plants, and the birth of our dreams and goals for this season of growth.

Also called: Growing, Hare, Seed or Planting, Budding Trees, Eastermonath (Easter month), Ostarmanoth, Pink, Green Grass Moon.

May

Honey Moon, Hare Moon, Corn Planting Moon, Flower Moon This Moon marks the observance of Fertility. This is the Moon closest to Beltane. This entire month focuses on Fertility, the time when people would make babies that would be born nine months later, after the Harvest and the Hunt and thus having the greatest chance of survival in a world that had almost no medical technology.

Also called: Hare, Merry or Dyad, Bright, Flower, Frogs Return (I like that one), Thrimilcmonath (Thrice-milk month), Sproutkale, Winnemanoth (Joy month), Planting, Moon When the Ponies Shed.

June

Dyad Moon, Strong Sun Moon, Strawberry Moon This Moon marks the observance of balance. The God and the Goddess meet and become one; the Maiden becomes the Mother. This is the time of year when the day and the night become even, in equal balance. Duality becomes the focus.

Also called: Mead, Moon of Horses, Lover’s, Strong Sun, Honey, Aerra Litha (before Lithia), Brachmanoth (Break month), Strawberry, Rose, Moon of Making Fat.

July

Mead Moon, Thunder Moon The Mead Moon is the time of the observance of the making of the mead, the sweet wines, or even honey and herb tea. Fill your cup, sip the sweet drink and wait quietly to become the vessel ready to receive inspiration of the God and Goddess.

Also called: Hay, Wort, Moon of Claiming, Moon of Blood (referring to mosquitoes), Blessing, Maedmonath (Meadow month), Hewimanoth (Hay month), Fallow, Buck, Thunder.

August

Wort Moon, Corn Moon This Moon marks the gathering of the Magickal herbs. "Wort" in Anglo-Saxon means, "herb." We just finished celebrating Lughnasadh, the first harvest. Celebrating all that we have produced and that for which we are thankful is the focus here.

Also called: Corn, Barley, Dispute, Weodmonath (Vegetation month), Harvest, Moon When Cherries Turn Black.

September

Barley Moon, Harvest Moon This is the Moon that marks the God preparing for his rest in the Summerland. This is the time of the third harvest. Take a look now at the goals you set to accomplish in the year. How did you nurture what you planted? Did you reap what you wanted, or did you get something unexpected?

Also called: Harvest, Wine, Singing, Sturgeon, Haligmonath (Holy month), Witumanoth (Wood month), Moon When Deer Paw the Earth.

October

Blood Moon, Hunter's Moon This is the Moon that marks the beginning of winter. This is the time that the people were bringing in the last of the harvests. It is the time for the hunt. The animals that were needed to supply food for the winter were hunted, dressed, and stored. In honor of the spirits of the animals, the Moon became known as the Blood Moon in remembrance of the great gift of life made possible by them.

Also called: Harvest, Shedding, Winterfelleth (Winter coming), Windermanoth (Vintage(?) month), Falling Leaf, Ten Colds, Moon of the Changing Season.

November

Mourning Moon, Snow Moon This Moon marks the time year that the veils between the worlds are thinnest. During this time, our past on loved ones can easily walk among us. This is the time when divination is easiest and most effective. We spend these times mourning and honoring our dead.

Also called: Dark, Fog, Beaver, Mourning, Blotmonath (Sacrifice month), Herbistmanoth (Harvest month), Mad, Moon of Storms, Moon When Deer Shed Antlers.

December

Long Nights Moon, Snow Moon, Oak Moon This is the moon that is closest to Winter Solstice. This Moon observes the time of year when Winter declined and people began to look toward Spring. The great oak tree stretches her branches to the sky, topped with the sacred mistletoe. Her life giving roots, branches in reverse, stretching into the Earth, into the Underworld, symbolizing the balance and duality that is the focus of our sacred path, Wicca.

Also called: Cold, Wolf, Moon of Long Nights, Aerra Geola (month before Yule), Wintermonath (Winter month), Heilagmanoth (Holy month), Big Winter, Moon of Popping Trees.

13th Moon

‘Blue moon’ appears to have been a colloquial expression long before it developed its calendrical senses. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first reference to a blue moon comes from a proverb recorded in 1528:

If they say the moon is blue,
We must believe that it is true.

Saying the moon was blue was equivalent to saying the moon was made of green (or cream) cheese; it indicated an obvious absurdity. In the 19th century, the phrase until a blue moon developed, meaning "never." The phrase, once in a blue moon today has come to mean "every now and then" or "rarely"—whether it gained that meaning through association with the lunar event remains uncertain.

There are two meanings as to what constitutes a blue moon. The common definition is the second full moon in a calendar month. An older definition for the blue moon is recorded in early issues of the Maine Farmer's Almanac. According to this definition, the blue moon is the third full moon in a season that has four full moons. Why would one want to identify the third full moon in a season of four full moons? The answer is complex, and has to do with the Christian ecclesiastical calendar.

Also called: Moon of the Dead, Hunting, Ancestor Moon

An obvious feature of this collection of names is the tendency for the same name to represent moons in different months, such as ‘Harvest Moon’, a name applied to moons in August through November. But that shouldn’t be too surprising; people will call the moon ‘harvest’ at the time when they harvest their crops, which will vary depending on local climate. Similarly, ‘Storm Moon’ will be in the month when storms are locally prevalent.

[vonmazur]

Aw come on! Why haven't you guys posted the obvious??

Reverend MOON!

Dale

[KaiYeves]

A full moon in July is Moon Landing Moon. ;-)

[Noclevername]

I call them all "that one".

[Swift]

Went for a walk under the full moon, through all the snow, the other night. It was beautiful, but I was thinking that this full moon should be named the "Freaking cold I wish the wind would stop blowing so hard Moon".

[mike alexander]

That's the Wind Chill Factor Moon.

[Maksutov]

When the full phase occurs on November 18th, its name comes from a former NFL/CFL quarterback who joined a particular Korea-based religious group and who has recently developed the habit of displaying his derričre to passing motorists: the Moon Moon Moon Moon.

[Swift]

When the full phase occurs on November 18th, its name comes from a former NFL/CFL quarterback who joined a particular Korea-based religious group and who has recently developed the habit of displaying his derričre to passing motorists: the Moon Moon Moon Moon.

:groan:
You're a loonie.

[Maksutov]

You're a loonie.

That war a good un! Ayuh!

All that's missing now is a visit from Grand_Lunar.