Every full moon has its name

The full moon has always been a companion through time, through months, through seasons and the entire year. In the early days even more so, because daily life of people had not been strictly ruled by the clock yet. It was the sun that determined the day and the moon that brightened the night. Nowadays, clock and calendar are our time scales, which is advantageous but also contains a dark side. You unlearn more and more to estimate time periods and to experience them consciously. We have almost forgotten to perceive how different  a full moon feels like in December compared to a full moon in July …

Indigenous people from many countries and cultures used to give the full moons names throughout the years, which reflected the seasonal events and included observations from nature. In the Internet (WIKIPEDIA et al.) you can read particularly often about the full moon names of Native Americans, the Algonquin. But also English names have been passed down, likewise the full moon names of Hindus or Buddhists.


January full moon
English: Old Moon
Algonquin: Wolf Moon
Others: Ice Moon

February full moon
English: Wolf Moon
Algonquin: Snow Moon
Others: Storm Moon, Hunger Moon

March full moon
English: Lenten Moon
Algonquin: Worm Moon
Others: Crow Moon, Sugar Moon

April full moon
English: Egg Moon
Algonquin: Pink Moon
Others: Fish Moon

May full moon
English: Milk Moon
Algonquin: Flower Moon
Others: Hare’s Moon

June full moon
English: Flower Moon
Algonquin: Strawberry Moon
Others: Honey Moon, Rose Moon

July full moon
English: Hay Moon
Algonquin: Buck Moon
Others: Thunder Moon

August full moon
English: Grain Moon
Algonquin: Sturgeon Moon
Others: Red Moon, Lightning Moon

September full moon
English: Fruit Moon
Algonquin: Harvest Moon
Others: Corn Moon, Barley Moon

October full moon
English: Harvest Moon
Algonquin: Hunter’s Moon
Others: Blood Moon, Travel Moon

November full moon
English: Hunter’s Moon
Algonquin: Beaver Moon
Others: Snow Moon

December full moon
English: Oak Moon
Algonquin: Cold Moon
Others: Frost Moon


It is obvious, that some names reappear (especially in adjacent months) and depending on the source, have been handed down differently.

These full moon names expand your vision to a native and nature-oriented perception of the moon. They remind us of our nature and a time that appears to be far, far away. For the moon it seems like only a blink of an eye has passed

1 Comment

  1. Sally R. Navarre | 31 August 2023

    Thank you, for all the research.

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