Moon Names

In folklore, full moons were given folk names, twelve each year, corresponding to times of the year and the related weather and crop needs, such as harvest moon, growing moon, and snow moon (varying widely with locality and culture). A year has either twelve or thirteen full moons, so in the years with thirteen full moons, one moon would not align with the correct season and was named a blue moon, which then re-aligned the rest of the year's twelve moons.

Blue Moon

The origin of the term "blue moon" is steeped in folklore, and its meaning has changed and acquired new nuances over time. Some folktales say that when there is a blue moon, the moon had a face and talked to those in its light.

Harvest Moon

The harvest moon is the moon at and about the period of fullness that is nearest to the autumnal equinox.

Harvest Moon is also known as the Wine Moon, the Singing Moon and the Elk Call Moon. In American myth and folklore the full moon of each month is given a name. There are many variations, but the following list gives the most widely known names in the modern US:

* January - Wolf moon, Hunger moon, Old moon
* February - Snow moon, Ice moon
* March - Worm moon, Sap moon, Sugaring moon, Crow moon, Storm moon
* April - Pink moon, Egg moon, Grass moon, Rain moon, Growing moon
* May - Flower moon, Planting moon, Milk moon, Hare moon
* June - Strawberry moon, Rose moon, Honey moon, Mead moon
* July - Buck moon, Thunder moon, Deer moon, Hay moon
* August - Sturgeon moon, Corn moon, Fruit moon, Barley moon
* September - Harvest moon (moon nearest autumn equinox)
* October - Hunter's moon (moon after harvest moon), Bunky moon
* November - Beaver moon, Frosty moon, Snow moon
* December - Cold moon, Long Night moon, Winter moon


Hunters Moon

The Hunter's Moon (also known as Blood Moon or Sanguine Moon) is the first full moon after the harvest moon, which is the full moon nearest the autumnal equinox.