![]() For many Buddhists this Moon is the end of Vassa, a three-month annual retreat called in English the "Rains Retreat" or "Buddhist Lent." In Myanmar the end of Vassa is celebrated as the Thadingyut Festival, also known as the Lighting Festival. For Hindus, this full Moon is Sharad Purnima, a harvest festival marking the end of the rains. This full Moon occurs around the end of the seasonal monsoon rains in the Indian Subcontinent. ![]() Other names for this Moon (probably from the more northern tribes) were the Frost or Frosty Moon and the Snow Moon, although these names were also used for the last Moon of Fall or the full Moon in December. Another interpretation suggests that the name Beaver Moon came from how active beavers were as they prepared for winter. One interpretation is that mid-Fall was the time to set beaver traps before the swamps froze to ensure a supply of warm winter furs. Going by season, as the second full Moon of autumn, this full Moon is the Beaver Moon. Full Moon names were used more to describe and remember events, or to help remember what was likely to come up in the near future, but these cultures did not generally need to accurately specify exact dates far in advance. For example, if it looked like the strawberries were going to be ripe, then it was the Strawberry Moon. From what I have read of traditional names given to full Moons around the world prior to the introduction of modern timekeeping, in most cases the tribal elders would decide on the name of the Moon based on what was going on at the time. In all likelihood neither/both are right. They will align again the next time we have four full Moons in a season (the older definition of a Blue Moon), which will happen on August 22, 2021. This means the names I use based on the seasons will differ from the names other authors use based on the month. With two full Moons in October 2020, the Moon names by season and Moon names by month will be off by a month. I think it more likely these Native American names were loosely tied to the seasons (especially if they were in use before contact with Europeans). In the 1930's the Maine Farmer's Almanac first published "Indian" names for the full Moons of the year tied to the European months. Since this full Moon occurs near when the Moon is farthest from the Earth (apogee), this is a Micro Moon (the opposite of a "Supermoon"). However, if you are in the time zones of Vladivostok, Papau New Guinea, Australian Central Time, etc., or in time zones to the east towards the International Dateline, this full Moon will be on November 1, 2020, and the full Moon at the end of November will be the Blue Moon (the second full Moon of the month for these time zones). ![]() ![]() The earliest use of the term "Hunter's Moon" cited in the Oxford English Dictionary is from 1710.įor most of the Earth, this full Moon will be the second full Moon in the month of October, making it a Blue Moon by the newer definition introduced by Sky & Telescope magazine in 1946. Since the harvesters had reaped the fields, hunters could easily see the animals that have come out to glean (and the foxes that have come out to prey on them). According to the Farmer's Almanac, with the leaves falling and the deer fattened, this was the time to hunt. This will be the Hunter's Moon, the full Moon after the Harvest Moon. The Moon will appear full for about three days around this time, from Thursday night through Sunday night, making this a full Moon weekend. The next full Moon will be on the morning of Halloween, Saturday, October 31, 2020, appearing "opposite" the Sun (in Earth-based longitude) at 10:49 AM EDT. The Next Full Moon is the Hunter's Moon a Micro Blue Moon the Beaver Moon the Frost, Frosty, or Snow Moon Sharad Purnima and the Thadingyut, Hpaung Daw U, and Low Krathong Festival Moon.
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