Full Moon names date back to Native Americans,
of what is now the northern and eastern United States. The
tribes kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to each
recurring full Moon. Their names were applied to the entire month in which
each occurred. There was some variation in the Moon names, but in general,
the same ones were current throughout the Algonquin tribes from New
England to Lake Superior. European settlers followed that custom and
created some of their own names. Since the lunar month is only 29 days
long on the average, the full Moon dates shift from year to year. Here is
the Farmers Almanac's list of the full Moon names.
• Full Sturgeon Moon - August 13 The fishing
tribes are given credit for the naming of this Moon, since sturgeon, a
large fish of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water, were most
readily caught during this month. A few tribes knew it as the Full Red
Moon because, as the Moon rises, it appears reddish through any sultry
haze. It was also called the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon.
• Full Corn Moon - September 12 This full
moon's name is attributed to Native Americans because it marked when corn
was supposed to be harvested. Most often, the September full moon is
actually the Harvest Moon.
• Full Harvest Moon - October 12 This is the
full Moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox. In two years out of
three, the Harvest Moon comes in September, but in some years it occurs in
October. At the peak of harvest, farmers can work late into the night by
the light of this Moon. Usually the full Moon rises an average of 50
minutes later each night, but for the few nights around the Harvest Moon,
the Moon seems to rise at nearly the same time each night: just 25 to 30
minutes later across the U.S., and only 10 to 20 minutes later for much of
Canada and Europe. Corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and wild rice the chief
Indian staples are now ready for gathering.
• Full Beaver Moon - November 10 This was the
time to set beaver traps before the swamps froze, to ensure a supply of
warm winter furs. Another interpretation suggests that the name Full
Beaver Moon comes from the fact that the beavers are now actively
preparing for winter. It is sometimes also referred to as the Frosty Moon.
• The Full Cold Moon; or the Full Long Nights Moon - December
10 During this month the winter cold fastens its grip, and nights
are at their longest and darkest. It is also sometimes called the Moon
before Yule. The term Long Night Moon is a doubly appropriate name because
the midwinter night is indeed long, and because the Moon is above the
horizon for a long time. The midwinter full Moon has a high trajectory
across the sky because it is opposite a low Sun.
From the Farmer's Almanac
