The 12 Full Moons
What Is A Full Moon ?
A full moon occurs when the moon is completely illuminated as seen from the Earth . This happens only when the moon is in opposition to the sun .
Tradition and folklore have given the 12 full moons the following names .
January The WOLF moon
February The SNOW moon
March The SAP moon
April The GROWING moon
May The FLOWER moon
June The STRAWBERRY moon
July The HAY moon
August The CORN moon
September The HARVEST moon
October The HUNTER’S moon
November The BEAVER moon
December The WINTER moon
I hope that you have found this short description of the 12 full moons entertaining and I welcome any stories or folklore that you can share with us about nature and all its wonder .
Hi Paul, was it a coincidence that you decided to blog about the 12 full moons this month?
Today happens to be the Mid-Autumn Festival or Mooncake Festival which the Chinese celebrate on The 15th day of the eighth month of China’s lunar calendar (in September or October). The Mid-Autumn Festival is the second most important festival to Chinese after the Spring Festival (or the Chinese Lunar New Year).
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, Chinese will return home from every corner of the country and the world for family reunions. The Chinese people believe the full moon is a symbol of peace, prosperity, and family reunion. On Mid-Autumn night the harvest moon is supposed to be the brightest and fullest of the year.
A highlight of this celebration is to eat mooncakes and sip Chinese tea while admiring the brightness of the full moon, while the children light lanterns and play in the parks.
On this special day, I wish you peace and prosperity. Maybe you will be viewing the supermoon lunar eclipse and be able to take some photos.
~ Sue
Hi Sue and thanks for this incite into Chinese culture . This month’s Harvest Moon brings us two blessings , A lunar eclipse and a SUPER Moon . Supermoons are very rare and occur only when a new or full moon makes its closest approach to Earth . The next Supermoon and Lunar eclipse combination will occur in 2033 . When the moon is at ” perigee ” it appears 14% larger and 30% brighter . the last full moon and lunar eclipse occurred in 1982 . Thank you for your blessings of Peace and Prosperity . Mooncakes and Tea for all your Family and Friends .