Full Moon Names
It is traditional to assign special names to each full moon of the year, though the rules that determine the name for a given month's full moon has changed over time (e.g., the blue moon). An ancient method of assigning names is based upon seasons and quarters of the year. For instance, the Egg Moon (the full moon before Easter) would be the first moon after March 21, and the Lenten Moon would be the last moon on or before March 21. Modern practice, however, is to assign the traditional names based on the Gregorian calendar month when 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 Algonquian peoples in the northern and eastern United States, other common names, and Hindu. Note that purnima or pornima is Sanskrit for full moon, which has also become the Malay word for full moon purnama. Full moon days are sacred according to Buddhist tradition and called Uposatha in Pali. For the names of the Uposatha days in Asian Buddhist countries see the article Uposatha.
| Positional name | Associated Month | English names | Algonquian names | Other names used | Hindu names | Sinhala Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Solstice | ||||||
| Early Winter | January | Wolf Moon | Sun has not strength to thaw | Moon After Yule, Ice Moon, Old Moon | Paush Poornima | Duruthu |
| Mid Winter | February | Snow Moon | Ice in river is gone | Hunger Moon, Storm Moon, Candles Moon | Magh Poornima | Navam |
| Late Winter | March | Storm Moon | Catching fish | Crow Moon, Crust Moon, Sugar Moon, Sap Moon, Chaste Moon, Death Moon, Worm Moon, Lenten Moon | basanta (spring) purnima, dol purnima (holi) | Medin |
| Vernal Equinox | ||||||
| Early Spring | April | Seed Moon | When they set Indian corn | Sprouting Grass Moon, Fish Moon, Growing Moon, Waking Moon, Pink Moon | Hanuman Jayanti | Bak |
| Mid Spring | May | Milk Moon | When women weed corn | Corn Planting Moon, Corn Moon, Hare Moon, Flower Moon | Buddha Poornima | Vesak |
| Late Spring | June | Mead Moon | When they hill Indian corn | Honey Moon, Rose Moon, Hot Moon, Planting Moon, Flower Moon, Strawberry Moon | Wat Poornima | Poson |
| Summer Solstice | ||||||
| Early Summer | July | Hay Moon | Squash are ripe | Thunder Moon, Mead Moon | Guru Purnima | Esala |
| Mid Summer | August | Corn Moon | When Indian corn is edible | Red Moon, Green Grain Moon, Lightning Moon, Dog Moon | Narali Poornima, Raksha bandhan | Nikini |
| Late Summer | September | Harvest Moon | Middle between harvest and eating corn | Corn Moon, Barley Moon, Fruit Moon | Bhadrapad Poornima | Binara |
| Autumnal Equinox | ||||||
| Early Fall | October | Hunter's Moon | White frost on grass | Travel Moon, Dying Grass Moon, Blood Moon, Harvest Moon | Kojagiri or Sharad Purnima, lakshmi puja | Vap |
| Mid Fall | November | Beaver Moon | Much white frost on grass | Frost Moon, Snow Moon, Hunter's Moon | Kartik Poornima | Il |
| Late Fall | December | Oak Moon | Frost Moon, Winter Moon, Long Night's Moon, Moon Before Yule | Margashirsha Poornima | Unduvap | |
Read more about this topic: Full Moon
Famous quotes containing the words full, moon and/or names:
“A full bosom is actually a millstone around a woman’s neck: it endears her to the men who want to make their mammet of her, but she is never allowed to think that their popping eyes actually see her. Her breasts ... are not parts of a person but lures slung around her neck, to be kneaded and twisted like magic putty, or mumbled and mouthed like lolly ices.”
—Germaine Greer (b. 1939)
“The moon has nothing to be sad about,
Staring from her hood of bone.
She is used to this sort of thing.
Her blacks crackle and drag.”
—Sylvia Plath (1932–1963)
“When the Day of Judgement dawns and the great conquerors and lawyers and statesmen come to receive their rewards—their crowns, their laurels, their names carved indelibly upon imperishable marble—the Almighty will turn to Peter and will say, not without a certain envy when he sees us coming with our books under our arms, “Look, these need no reward. We have nothing to give them here. They have loved reading.””
—Virginia Woolf (1882–1941)