If you didn’t get your Farmer’s Almanac this year or suffer from lycanthropy, :
January 3th –
The Full Wolf Moon. Amid the zero cold and deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily outside Indian villages. In London, impeccably dressed werewolves are often seen on the prowl in search of a dish of beef chow mein.
It was also known as the Old Moon or the Moon After Yule. In some tribes this was the Full Snow Moon; most applied that name to the next Moon.
February 1st–
The second full moon of 2023 is known as The Full Snow Moon. Usually the heaviest snows fall in this month. Hunting becomes very difficult, and hence internet traffic increases threefold. To the settlers, it was also known as the Lenten Moon.
Some tribes also referred to this Moon as the Full Hunger Moon, since harsh weather conditions in their areas made hunting very difficult.
March 3th –
The Full Worm Moon. In this month the ground softens and the earthworm casts reappear, inviting the return of the robins. Just what you want to think about in the morning – worm crap. It moon known as The Full Sap Moon, marking the time of tapping maple trees, this is another variation of the Full Worm Moon. it was considered to be the last full Moon of winter.
The more northern tribes knew this Moon as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signaled the end of winter; or the Full Crust Moon, because the snow cover becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night. The Worm Moon brings the year’s only total lunar “blood moon” eclipse early on that date in North America, with totality lasting 58 minutes.
April 1st –
The Full Pink Moon. The grass pink or wild ground phlox is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring. Other names were the Full Pink Floyd Moon because remember – there is no dark side of the moon – it’s all dark.
This year, the full moon of the month is also designated as the Paschal Full Moon or the Paschal Term. Traditionally, Easter is observed on the Sunday after the Paschal Full Moon. If the Paschal Moon occurs on a Sunday, Easter is the following Sunday. This was a long winded way of explaining that for Western Christianity, Easter occurs on April 5. (This year, for Eastern Christians, Easter occurs on April 12.) Be thankful that this is not on the test.
Hang tight folks, you’ll be OK.
May 1st –
The Full Flower Moon. Flowers are abundant everywhere. Usually at your local Korean deli around the corner.
Other names include the Full Corn Planting Moon, or the Milk Moon (in a few months, the moon will be full of cheese.)
May 31st –
There is a Blue Moon in 2026. The second full Moon occurring within a calendar month is usually bestowed this title.
If you listen closely, you may hear somebody whisper “please adore me,” and when you looked the moon may have turned to gold. Either that, or you need to seek medical attention immediately.
This monthly Blue Moon — is also a micromoon, the opposite to a supermoon. A micromoon occurs when a full or new moon happens at apogee, the point in the Moon’s elliptical orbit farthest from Earth, making it appear slightly smaller (about 14%) and dimmer (around 30%) than a typical full moon.
June 29th –
The Full Strawberry Moon. This name was universal to every Algonquin tribe. However, in Europe they called it the Rose Moon. Also because the relatively short season for harvesting strawberries comes each year during the month of June . . . so the full Moon that occurs during that month was christened for the strawberry!
Best seen in Central Park, across from the Dakota. (This is also another micromoon.)
July 29th –
The Full Buck Moon, when the new antlers of buck deer push out from their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur. Again another disgusting image – bone pushing through flesh – for your early morning.
It was also often called the Full Thunder Moon, for the reason that thunderstorms are most frequent during this time. Another name for this month’s Moon was the Full Hay Moon. (There will also be an micromoon this month as well.)
August 28th –
The Full Sturgeon Moon, when this large fish of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water like Lake Champlain is most readily caught. Sometimes, a sort of lunar madness occurs during this cycle, when people might chase the full moon with a little chopped egg and sour cream. Please direct these poor souls to Zabar’s.
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. The Sturgeon Moon coincides with a very deep partial lunar eclipse that leaves about 96% of the lunar disk in Earth’s shadow.
September 26th –
The Full Harvest Moon, usually the full Moon occurring nearest to the Autumnal Equinox.
This is the time of year, aging Canadian Rock stars will sing full out with their once achingly beautiful harmonies.
October 26th –
The Full Hunter’s Moon. With the leaves falling and the deer fattened, it is time to hunt.
Since the fields have been reaped, hunters can ride over the stubble, and can more easily see the fox, also other animals that have come out to glean and can be caught for a thanksgiving banquet after the harvest.
November 24th –
The Full Beaver Moon (OK stop snickering.) Time to set beaver traps before the swamps freeze to ensure a supply of warm winter furs. Another interpretation suggests that the name Beaver Full Moon comes from the fact that the beavers are now active in their preparation for winter.
It is sometimes also referred to as the Frosty Moon. (Really stop laughing.) November’s Full Moon also coincides with a Supermoon.
December 24th –
The Full Cold Moon (or the Full Long Nights Moon.) In this month the winter cold fastens its grip, and the nights are at their longest and darkest. Also sometimes called the Moon before Yule. This Cold Moon is a supermoon and the closest full moon to Earth since 2019, making it the biggest and brightest lunar show of the year.
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. Rudolph sometimes gets the night off because of the bright light.
And so it goes my friends.
The Haus of Dcaligari 