Naming the Full Moon

In my post on Wiccan esbats, I gave names for the full moons (highlighted in blue in the table below), as provided by Lunabar.  Here is the history and story behind the naming of the full moon.

It is traditional to assign special names to each full moon of the year, although the rule for determining which name will be assigned has changed over time. An ancient method of assigning names is based upon seasons and quarters of the year. For instance, an Egg Moon (the Full Moon before Easter) would be the first moon after March 21st, and a Lenten Moon would be the last moon on or before March 21st. Modern (non-pagan) practice, however, is to assign the traditional names based on the Gregorian calendar month in which the full moon falls. This method frequently results in the same name as the older method would, and is far more convenient to use.

The following table gives the traditional English names for each month’s full moon, the names given by Native Americans in the northern and eastern United States, and other common (including pagan) names (Source:  Wikipedia):

Month	English	Native American	Other Names Used
January	Old Moon	Wolf Moon	Moon After Yule, Ice Moon
February	Wolf Moon	Snow Moon	Hunger Moon, Storm Moon
March	Lenten Moon	Worm Moon	Crow Moon, Crust Moon, Sugar Moon, Sap Moon, Chaste Moon, Death Moon
April	Egg Moon	Pink Moon	Sprouting Grass Moon, Fish Moon, Seed Moon, Waking Moon
May	Milk Moon	Flower Moon	Corn Planting Moon, Corn Moon, Hare’s Moon, Grass Moon
June	Flower Moon	Strawberry Moon	Hot Moon, Planting Moon
July	Hay Moon	Buck Moon	Rose Moon, Thunder Moon, Mead Moon
August	Grain Moon	Sturgeon Moon	Red Moon, Green Corn Moon, Lightning Moon, Dog Moon
September	Fruit Moon	Harvest Moon	Corn Moon, Barley Moon
October	Harvest Moon	Hunter’s Moon	Travel Moon, Dying Grass Moon, Blood Moon
November	Hunter’s Moon	Beaver Moon	Frost Moon, Snow Moon, Tree Moon
December	Oak Moon	Cold Moon	Frost Moon, Long Night’s Moon, Moon Before Yule

The name of each moon is generally reflective of the “spirit” or “aspect” of the month in which it occurs. Thus:

• The moon of January is tired and Old, and the voices of the Wolves sing frighteningly clear over the Icy expanses.
• Early pagan society’s food rations would have started to become quite meager by February and Hunger stalks the land; Storms are fierce and Snow is thick upon the ground.   Starving Wolves are a real danger now.
• When March arrives, Death takes those too weak to survive, giving them over to the Worm and the Crow; yet there is hope, for the Sap is beginning to rise, the long Lenten fasting will soon end, Chastity will be rewarded, and sweetness (Sugar) is at hand.
• In the month of April, rebirth (Egg) is everywhere, the Grass is Sprouting, the Fish are plentiful, the Seed is ready to be sown, the moss Pinks bloom, and everything begins to Wake.
• May arrives and all the Flowers are blooming, the Grass is high, Milk is plenty, as is small game (Hare), and the planting of crops (Corn) is in full swing.
• When June arrives, the weather is Hot, Flowers abound, the wild Strawberries are ripe, and the Planting is completed.
• Throughout the month of July, the Bucks grow their antlers, Roses bloom, the first cutting of Hay is made before the summer Thunder storms, and people make merry, drinking Mead, relaxing from their efforts and preparing for the Harvest to come.
• August approaches and the Sturgeon run, the Grain grows ripe, the Corn is Green in the fields, Lightning storms march across the land, the “Dog Days” of Summer are ending, and a Red moon portends a heat wave in the offing.
• The month of September sends people scurrying to bring in the Harvest of Corn, Barley, and Fruit.
• October sets the Grass to Dying, men to Bloody slaying of the herds and Hunting in the wild for winter provisions; any Traveling to be done must be completed now or postponed until Spring.
• In November, the Beavers and Trees ready themselves for winter and the first Frosts and Snow make their appearance.  The Hunter’s skills are now in high demand.
• December ushers in Cold, Frost, Yule and the Longest Night of the year, with the mighty Oak, ancient source of food and medicine, standing guard over all.

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “Once in a blue moon.” The origin of the folkloric term “blue moon” is complicated, because its meaning has changed over time. Modern practice is to name a full moon a blue moon if it is the second of two full moons to occur in the same calendar month. The original meaning of blue moon was the third full moon in a season when there were four full moons in that season. There is no blue moon in 2008.

Check out this site for some very interesting and exhaustive listings of names for the full moon; thanks to Saje for finding and recommending this site!