In this article I would like to discuss the naming of moons, and the importance of Blue Moons in doing so. I will also share some of the various names for the full moons or months in a year recorded by different cultures around the world. It is easy in this day and age to get caught up in the media popularization of “super blood wolf moons”, but often these terms such as “wolf moon” are borrowed from specific individual cultures. This is done without any knowledge of where the term came from, or the meaning, associations and beliefs behind the term by most people. So rather than fall victim to accusations of cultural appropriation I thought I would post about the names for moons used by other cultures, and some of the difficulties in naming full moons in a calendar system.
Lunar Calendars and Blue Moons
An observable lunar calendar that follows the waxing and waning of the moon will in general have 12 months per solar year, with an extra intercalary 13th month every two and a half years or so. This is because 12 lunar months is shorter than a solar year, and 13 lunar months is longer. This means that although there are normally 3 full moons per season (12 / 4 = 3) every so often, the first full moon falls right at the beginning of the season, and you get 4 full moons before the next season starts. The third of these four moons is known as a Blue Moon.
There is another definition for Blue Moons that is a result of a misunderstanding in the 1940s. In 1937 Laurence J. Lafleur published an article in the Maine Farmer’s Almanac describing Blue Moons. Then in 1946 amateur astronomer James Hugh Pruett published an article in Sky and Telescope magazine citing Laurence J. Lafleur’s previous article, however he misunderstood the original article and added:
“Seven times in 19 years there were — and still are — 13 full moons in a year. This gives 11 months with one full moon each and one with two. This second in a month, so I interpret it, was called Blue Moon.”
In his article Lafleur was referring to the topical or seasonal year, and not the calendar year.Pruett did not spot this detail and made a false assumption. Yet because the article was published in a popular scientific magazine with a large circulation, it was from then on cited enough over the following years that this mistaken definition became the accepted one.
This definition is based on the Gregorian calendar, and as such is discounted for the remainder of this article. Here we focus on astronomical or seasonal Blue Moons which are defined by the timings of the sky, rather that where the full moon happens to fall on the Christian Gregorian calendar.
The sequence of Blue Moons is very predictable. Over the course of 19 years the patterns of the moon and sun re-align. This is known as the Metonic sequence or cycle. During this 19 year cycle, a season with 4 full moons will occur 7 times. In fact, if you look at the Druidcraft Calendar, you can see that there are 7 leap years in a cycle, and this year (2019) is the 6th leap year of this cycle (year 17). This means we will have 13 full moons this year, and the Blue Moon will occur this year on the 18th May. In the 19 year cycle the Blue Moons will almost always occur in the 3rd, 6th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th and 19th years. Where exactly in the year, in which season the blue moon will fall is another matter.
Defining the seasons
Blue moons are worked out based on what are called the astronomical seasons. Each season starts with either a solstice or equinox. So astronomically spring begins on the spring equinox and ends at the summer solstice. However, the orbit of the earth around the sun is not even, resulting in seasons of different lengths.
Spring: 92.75 days
Summer: 93.65 days
Autumn: 89.85 days
Winter: 88.99 days
Total: 365.24 days
What this means is that summer and spring together at 186.4 days is considerably longer than winter and autumn together at 178.84 days in the northern hemisphere. 7.56 days longer to be exact. It is therefore much more likely that a Blue Moon will occur in summer and spring, as opposed to winter or autumn. Between the years 1910 and 2097 there are 34 summer Blue Moons and 29 spring Blue Moons. Yet during the same period there are only 6 Autumn Blue Moons and 2 winter Blue Moons.
The exact sequence that determines which season a Blue Moon will fall in is difficult to pin down, and I am yet to fully discover any recognisable pattern. The data I was able to find available online was limited to 200 years, so in order to understand Blue Moons correctly beyond that I create a new calculator that will generate a list of Blue Moons from any given year. I was then able to determine that the average sequence for Blue Moons in a Metonic Cycle looks like this.
Metonic year 3 - Summer Blue Moon
Metonic year 6 - Spring Blue Moon
Metonic year 8 - Summer or Autumn Moon
Metonic year 11 - Summer Blue Moon
Metonic year 14 - Spring Blue Moon
Metonic year 17 - Spring Blue Moon
Metonic year 19 - Summer Blue Moon
But this is just the average, any one of the years can have a Blue Moon in any season, it is just much more likely it will be in the season mentioned above.
Spotting a Blue Moon on the Druidcraft calendar.
It is actually very simple to spot a Blue Moon coming using the Druidcraft calendar.
If the Sun peg is in any of the solar festival holes (solstice of equinox holes) and a full moon occurs before you next have to move the Sun peg, then there is the possibility of a Blue Moon in the coming season. If by the time the third full moon occurs the Sun Peg still has 5 holes to travel until the next solar festival, then the current full moon is a Blue Moon. If the Sun Peg only has 4 holes remaining then it is still possibly a blue moon, but you will not know for sure until you see the 4th moon occur before the next solar festival, count forward, or look up the times for the solar festival and full moon.
What has all this got to do with moon names?
What this means is that if you want to name the full moons throughout the year, and maintain any synchronization with the seasons you need the 12 standard moon names for the 3 moons per season, and at least one additional moon name for the 13th month even if you just refer to it as the Blue Moon. The problem is the 13th moon could fall in any season. So you could have as many as 4 additional moon names, depending on where in the year the Blue Moon occurs resulting in as many as 16 moon or month names in total.
If you are creating a lunar calendar you have a few choices. Regardless, you usually end up with 12 or 13 moon names. You can choose to follow another cycle of the moon, such as a 28 day “lunar” calendar which with some correction can follow the sidereal month, but then you are not naming “full moons” because the sidereal month is not the cycle that determines the lunations of the moon. Another option is to have 12 months and not name them with any relation to the seasons, understanding that if you have a “cold month”, after a few years it will end up being in the middle of summer. Or you can introduce a 13th month for the Blue Moons, which will keep your calendar more in sync with the seasons. For this reason I would suggest that where we see a calendar of 12 moon names and they are named after seasons, this is a clue that there is a missing 13th month, or the months are not the names of full moons. The final option is to divorce the concept of a month from the moon, and use it simply as a division of days of a solar year, as we do today with the Gregorian calendar.
The following tables detail the names of the moons from cultures all around the world. Some of the lists are incomplete. Some of them, we do not know the calendar system they were a part of and so do not know if we are missing moon names. Where the intercalary month has been identified, it has been highlighted in red. This list of moon names will therefore remain a work in progress and be updated as and when new information is discovered. If you are aware of any that are not currently on the list, then I encourage you to comment on this article. For now though, here are the names of the moons from around the world starting with the moon after the winter solstice where I was able to determine it.
Babylonian
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
Araḫ Nisānu |
Month of the Sanctuary |
| 2nd |
Araḫ Āru |
Month of the Bull |
| 3rd |
Araḫ Simanu |
Month of Tammuz |
| 4th |
Araḫ Dumuzu |
|
| 5th |
Araḫ Abu |
|
| 6th |
Araḫ Ulūlu |
Month of Beginnings
|
| 7th |
Araḫ Tišritum |
Month of Laying Foundations |
| 8th |
Araḫ Samnu |
|
| 9th |
Araḫ Kislimu |
Month of Forthcoming Water |
| 10th |
Araḫ Ṭebētum |
|
| 11th |
Araḫ Šabaṭu |
Month of Adar |
| 12th |
Araḫ Addaru / Adār |
|
| 13th |
Araḫ Makaruša Addari |
|
| 14th |
Araḫ Addaru Arku |
|
| 15th |
Araḫ Ulūlu |
|
Hebrew
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
Nisan |
|
| 2nd |
lyar |
|
| 3rd |
Sivan |
|
| 4th |
Tammuz |
|
| 5th |
Av |
|
| 6th |
Elul |
|
| 7th |
Tishrei |
|
| 8th |
Marcheshvan |
|
| 9th |
Kislev |
|
| 10th |
Tevet |
|
| 11th |
Shevat |
|
| 12th |
Adar |
|
| 13th |
|
|
Egyptian
Seasonal
| Moon |
Name |
Name |
| 1st |
1st Month of Flood |
|
| 2nd |
2nd Month of Flood |
|
| 3rd |
3rd Month of Flood |
|
| 4th |
4th Month of Flood |
|
| 5th |
1st Month of Growth |
|
| 6th |
2nd Month of Growth |
|
| 7th |
3rd Month of Growth |
|
| 8th |
4th Month of Growth |
|
| 9th |
1st Month of Low Water |
|
| 10th |
2nd Month of Low Water |
|
| 11th |
3rd Month of Low Water |
|
| 12th |
4th Month of Low Water |
|
| 13th |
|
|
Middle Kingdom
| Moon |
Name |
Name |
| 1st |
Tḫy |
|
| 2nd |
Mnht |
|
| 3rd |
Ḥwt-ḥwr |
|
| 4th |
KꜢ-ḥr-KꜢ |
|
| 5th |
Sf-Bdt |
|
| 6th |
Rḫ Wr |
|
| 7th |
Rḫ Nds |
|
| 8th |
Rnwt |
|
| 9th |
Ḫnsw |
|
| 10th |
Hnt-htj |
|
| 11th |
pt-hmt |
|
| 12th |
Wp Rnpt |
|
| 13th |
|
|
New Kingdom
| Moon |
Name |
Name |
| 1st |
Ḏḥwtyt |
|
| 2nd |
P-n-ip.t |
|
| 3rd |
Ḥwt-ḥwr |
|
| 4th |
KꜢ-ḥr-KꜢ |
|
| 5th |
TꜢ-ꜥb |
|
| 6th |
Mḫyr |
|
| 7th |
P-n-imn-ḥtp.w |
|
| 8th |
P-n-rnn.t |
|
| 9th |
P-n-ḫns.w |
|
| 10th |
P-n-in.t |
|
| 11th |
Ipip |
|
| 12th |
wt Rꜥ |
|
| 13th |
Hryw Rnpt |
|
Coptic
| Moon |
Name |
Name |
| 1st |
Thôut |
|
| 2nd |
Baôba |
|
| 3rd |
Hatûr |
|
| 4th |
Koiak Kiahk |
|
| 5th |
Tôbi |
|
| 6th |
Meshir |
|
| 7th |
Baramhat |
|
| 8th |
Barmoda |
|
| 9th |
Bashons |
|
| 10th |
Baôni |
|
| 11th |
Apip |
|
| 12th |
Masôri |
|
| 13th |
Bikuji n’awot |
|
Ancient Greek
Aetolian
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
Prokuklios - Προκύκλιος |
|
| 2nd |
Athanaios - Ἀθαναίος |
|
| 3rd |
Boukatios - Βουκάτιος |
|
| 4th |
Dios - Διός |
|
| 5th |
Euthaios - Ἑυθυαίος |
|
| 6th |
Homoloios - Ὁμολώιος |
|
| 7th |
Hermaios - Ἑρμαίος |
|
| 8th |
Dionusios - Διονύσιος |
|
| 9th |
Agueios - Ἀγύειος |
|
| 10th |
Hippodromos - Ἱπποδρόμιος |
|
| 11th |
Laphraios - Λαφραίος |
|
| 12th |
Panamos - Πάναμος |
|
Argolian
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
Ermaios - Ερμαίος |
|
| 2nd |
Arneios - Αρνείος |
|
| 3rd |
|
|
| 4th |
|
|
| 5th |
|
|
| 6th |
Panamos - Πάναμος |
|
| 7th |
Aguieos - Αγυιέος |
|
| 8th |
Karneios - Κάρνειος |
|
| 9th |
|
|
| 10th |
|
|
| 11th |
|
|
| 12th |
|
|
| 13th |
|
|
Attic
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
Hekatombaion - Ἑκατομβαιών |
|
| 2nd |
Metageitnion - Μεταγειτνιών |
|
| 3rd |
Boedromion - Βοηδρομιών |
|
| 4th |
Pyanepsion - Πυανεψιών |
|
| 5th |
Maimakterion - Μαιμακτηριών |
|
| 6th |
Poseideon - Ποσιδεών (later Ποσειδεών) |
|
| 7th |
Gamelion - Γαμηλιών |
|
| 8th |
Anthesterion - Ἀνθεστηριών |
|
| 9th |
Elaphebolion - Ἑλαφηβολιών |
|
| 10th |
Mounichion - Μουνυχιών (later Μουνιχιών) |
|
| 11th |
Thargelion - Θαργηλιών |
|
| 12th |
Skirophorion - Σκιροφοριών |
|
| 13th |
|
|
Boeotian
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
Bucatios - Βουκάτιος |
|
| 2nd |
Hermaios - Ἑρμαίος |
|
| 3rd |
Prostaterios - Προστατήριος |
|
| 4th |
Agrionios - Ἀγριώνιος |
|
| 5th |
Homoloios - Ὁμολώιος |
|
| 6th |
Theilouthios - Θειλούθιος |
|
| 7th |
Hippodromios - Ἱπποδρόμιος |
|
| 8th |
Panamos - Πάναμος |
|
| 9th |
Pamboiotios - Παμβοιώτιος |
|
| 10th |
Damatrios - Δαμάτριος |
|
| 11th |
Alalkomenios or Alkumenios - Ἀλαλκομένιος or Ἀλκυμένιος |
|
| 12th |
|
|
| 13th |
|
|
Corinthian
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
Phoinikaios - Φοινικαίος |
|
| 2nd |
Kraneios - Κράνειος |
|
| 3rd |
Lanotropios, Heliotropios or Haliotropios - Λανοτρόπιος |
|
| 4th |
Machaneus - Μαχανεύς |
|
| 5th |
Dodekateus - Δωδεκατεύς |
|
| 6th |
Eukleios - Εύκλειος |
|
| 7th |
Artemisios - Ἀρτεμίσιος |
|
| 8th |
Psydreus - Ψυδρεύς |
|
| 9th |
Gamilios - Γαμείλιος |
|
| 10th |
Agrianios - Ἀγριάνιος |
|
| 11th |
Panamos - Πάναμος |
|
| 12th |
Apellaios - Απελλαίος |
|
| 13th |
|
|
Cretan
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
Thesmophorion |
|
| 2nd |
Hermaios |
|
| 3rd |
Eiman |
|
| 4th |
Matarchios |
|
| 5th |
Agyios |
|
| 6th |
Dioscouros |
|
| 7th |
Theodosios |
|
| 8th |
Pontos |
|
| 9th |
Rhabinthios |
|
| 10th |
Hyperberetos |
|
| 11th |
Necysios |
|
| 12th |
Basilios |
|
| 13th |
|
|
Delphic
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
Bucatios - Βουκάτιος |
|
| 2nd |
Heraios - Ἡραίος |
|
| 3rd |
Apellaios - Ἀπελλαίος |
|
| 4th |
- |
|
| 5th |
Dadaphorios - Δαδαφόριος |
|
| 6th |
Poitropios - Ποιτρόπιος |
|
| 7th |
Bysios - Βύσιος |
|
| 8th |
Artemisios - Ἀρτεμίσιος |
|
| 9th |
Heracleios - Ἡράκλειος |
|
| 10th |
Boathoos - Βοαθόος |
|
| 11th |
Ilaios - Ιλαίος |
|
| 12th |
Theoxenios - Θεοξένιος |
|
| 13th |
|
|
Elian
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
- |
|
| 2nd |
Apollonios - Ἀπολλώνιος |
|
| 3rd |
Parthenios - Παρθένιος |
|
| 4th |
Alphioios - Ἀλφιοίος |
|
| 5th |
Athanaios - Ἀθαναίος |
|
| 6th |
Thuios - Θυΐος |
|
| 7th |
- |
|
| 8th |
Diosthuos - Διόσθυος |
|
| 9th |
- |
|
| 10th |
Elaphios - Ελάφιος |
|
| 11th |
- |
|
| 12th |
- |
|
| 13th |
- |
|
Epidaurian
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
Azosios - Αζόσιος |
|
| 2nd |
Karneios - Κάρνειος |
|
| 3rd |
Praratios - Πραράτιος |
|
| 4th |
Ermaios - Ερμαίος |
|
| 5th |
Gamos - Γάμος |
|
| 6th |
Teleos - Τέλεος |
|
| 7th |
Posidaios - Ποσίδαιος |
|
| 8th |
Artamisios - Αρταμίσιος |
|
| 9th |
Agrianios - Αγριάνιος |
|
| 10th |
Panamos - Πάναμος |
|
| 11th |
Kuklios - Κύκλιος |
|
| 12th |
Apellaios - Απελλαίος |
|
| 13th |
|
|
Laconian
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
Panamos - Πάναμος |
|
| 2nd |
Herasios - Ἡράσιος |
|
| 3rd |
Apellaios - Ἀπελλαίος |
|
| 4th |
Diosthyos - Διόσθυος |
|
| 5th |
- |
|
| 6th |
Eleusinios - Ελευσίνιος |
|
| 7th |
Gerastios - Γεράστιος |
|
| 8th |
Artemisios - Ἀρτεμίσιος |
|
| 9th |
Delphinios - Δελφίνιος |
|
| 10th |
Phleiasios - Φλειάσιος |
|
| 11th |
Hecatombeus - Ἑκατομβεύς |
|
| 12th |
Karneios - Κάρνειος |
|
| 13th |
|
|
Macedonian
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
Dios - Δίος |
|
| 2nd |
Apellaios - Ἀπελλαῖος |
|
| 3rd |
Audunaios or Audnaios - Αὐδυναῖος or Αὐδναῖος |
|
| 4th |
Peritios - Περίτιος |
|
| 5th |
Dystros - Δύστρος |
|
| 6th |
Xandikos or Xanthikos - Ξανδικός or Ξανθικός |
|
| 7th |
Artemisios or Artamitios - Ἀρτεμίσιος or Ἀρταμίτιος |
|
| 8th |
Daisios - Δαίσιος |
|
| 9th |
Panemos or Panamos - Πάνημος or Πάναμος |
|
| 10th |
Loios - Λώιος |
|
| 11th |
Gorpiaios - Γορπιαῖος |
|
| 12th |
Hyperberetaios - Ὑπερβερεταῖος |
|
| 13th |
|
|
Rhodian
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
Agrianios - Ἀγριάνιος |
|
| 2nd |
Badromios - Βαδρόμιος |
|
| 3rd |
Theudasios - Θευδάσιος |
|
| 4th |
Dalios - Δάλιος |
|
| 5th |
Artamitios - Ἀρταμίτιος |
|
| 6th |
Panamos and Panamos embolimos - Πάναμος |
|
| 7th |
Pedageitnyos - Πεδαγειτνύος |
|
| 8th |
Hyacynthios - Ὑακίνθιος |
|
| 9th |
Karneios - Κάρνειος |
|
| 10th |
Thesmophorios - Θεσμοφόριος |
|
| 11th |
Sminthios - Σμίνθιος |
|
| 12th |
Diosthyos - Διόσθυος |
|
| 13th |
|
|
Sicilian
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
Thesmophorios |
|
| 2nd |
Dalios |
|
| 3rd |
- |
|
| 4th |
Agrianios |
|
| 5th |
- |
|
| 6th |
Theudasios |
|
| 7th |
Artamitios |
|
| 8th |
- |
|
| 9th |
Badromios |
|
| 10th |
Hyacinthios |
|
| 11th |
Carneios |
|
| 12th |
Panamos |
|
| 13th |
|
|
Thessalian
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
Itonios - Ἰτῶνιος |
|
| 2nd |
Panemos - Πάνημος |
|
| 3rd |
Themistios - Θεμίστιος |
|
| 4th |
Agagylios - Ἀγαγύλιος |
|
| 5th |
Apollonios - Ἀπολλῶνιος |
|
| 6th |
Hermaios - Ἑρμαῖος |
|
| 7th |
Leschanorios - Λεσχανόριος |
|
| 8th |
Aphrios - Ἂφριος |
|
| 9th |
Thyios - Θυίος |
|
| 10th |
Homoloios - Ὁμολῶιος |
|
| 11th |
Hippodromios - Ἱπποδρόμιος |
|
| 12th |
Phyllikos - Φυλλικός |
|
| 13th |
|
|
Gallo-Roman
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
Giamonios |
Winter? |
| 2nd |
Semiuisonna |
Before Spring? |
| 3rd |
Equos |
Horse? |
| 4th |
Elembiuos |
Deer? |
| 5th |
Aedrinios |
Fire/Heat? |
| 6th |
Cantlos |
Song? |
| 7th |
Samonios |
Summer? |
| 8th |
Dumannios |
Dark/Smoke? |
| 9th |
Riuros |
great/big/sturdy? |
| 10th |
Anagantio |
|
| 11th |
Ogronnios |
cold month |
| 12th |
Cutios |
|
| 13th |
Quimonios |
|
| 14th |
Rantaranos |
The month in between |
Chinese
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
Winter Month – Dōngyuè |
The winter solstice |
| 2nd |
Preserved Month -Làyuè |
Preserve meats ready for Spring Festival |
| 3rd |
Start Month – Zhēngyuè |
It starts the year. |
| 4th |
Apricot Month – Xìngyuè |
Apricot trees blossom. |
| 5th |
Peach Month – Táoyuè |
Peach trees blossom. |
| 6th |
Locust Tree Month – Huáiyuè |
Locust trees blossom. |
| 7th |
Sweet Sedge Month Púyuè |
Dragon Boat Festival |
| 8th |
Lotus Month – Héyuè |
Lotus flowers bloom. |
| 9th |
Skill Month – Qiǎoyuè |
Women prayed for and showed their dexterous domestic skills. |
| 10th |
Osmanthus Month – Guìyuè |
Osmanthus flowers bloom. |
| 11th |
Chrysanthemum Month – Júyuè |
Chrysanthemum flowers bloom. |
| 12th |
Yang Month – Yángyuè |
The Taoist yang force is believed to be strong this month. |
| 13th |
|
|
Anglo-Saxon
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
Æftera Geola |
After Yule |
| 2nd |
Sōlmōnath |
Month of Cakes |
| 3rd |
Hrēðmonath |
Month of Goddess Hretha |
| 4th |
Eostremonath |
Month of Goddess Eostar |
| 5th |
Thrimilce |
Three Milkings Month |
| 6th |
Ærraliða |
Before Calm |
| 7th |
Æfteraliða |
After Calm |
| 8th |
Weodmonath |
Weed Month |
| 9th |
Hāligmonath |
Harvest Month |
| 10th |
Winterfylleth |
Winter Full |
| 11th |
Blōtmonath |
Blood/Sacrifice Month |
| 12th |
Ærra Geola |
Yule |
| 13th |
|
|
Norse
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
Ýlir |
Month of god Odin |
| 2nd |
Mörsugur |
Fat Month |
| 3rd |
Þorri |
Month of god Thorri |
| 4th |
Gói |
Moth of Goddess Gói |
| 5th |
Einmánuður |
Boys Month? |
| 6th |
Harpa |
Girls Month? |
| 7th |
Skerpla |
Growth? |
| 8th |
Sólmánuður |
Sun Month |
| 9th |
Heyannir |
May Making Month |
| 10th |
Tvímánuður |
|
| 11th |
Haustmánuður |
Harvest Month |
| 12th |
Gormánuður |
Butcher month |
| 13th |
|
|
North American
Abenaki
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
alamikos |
greetings maker moon |
| 2nd |
piaôdagos |
makes branches fall in pieces moon |
| 3rd |
mozokas |
moose hunter moon |
| 4th |
sigwankas |
spring season maker moon |
| 5th |
sogalikas |
sugar maker moon |
| 6th |
kikas |
field maker moon |
| 7th |
nokahigas |
hoer moon |
| 8th |
temaskikos |
grass cutter moon |
| 9th |
temezôwas |
cutter moon |
| 10th |
skamonkas |
corn maker moon |
| 11th |
penibagos |
leaf falling moon |
| 12th |
mzatanos |
freezing river maker moon |
| 13th |
pebonkas |
winter maker moon |
Algonquin
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
squochee kesos |
sun has not strength to thaw |
| 2nd |
wapicuummilcum |
ice in river is gone |
| 3rd |
namossack kesos |
catching fish |
| 4th |
suquanni kesos |
when they set indian corn |
| 5th |
moonesquanimock kesos |
when women weed corn |
| 6th |
twowa kesos |
when they hill indian corn |
| 7th |
matterllawaw kesos |
squash are ripe |
| 8th |
micheenee kesos |
when indian corn is edible |
| 9th |
pohquitaqunk kesos |
middle between harvest and eating corn |
| 10th |
pepewarr |
white frost on grass |
| 11th |
quinne kesos |
much white frost on grass |
| 12th |
|
|
| 13th |
|
|
Anishnaabe
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
gichi-manidoo-giizis |
great spirits moon |
| 2nd |
namebini-giizis |
sucker moon |
| 3rd |
bebookwaadaagame-giizis(oog) |
snow crust moon |
| 4th |
iskigamizige-giizis(oog) |
broken snowshow moon |
| 5th |
waabigwani-giizis |
blossom moon |
| 6th |
ode’imini-giizis |
strawberry moon |
| 7th |
aabita-niibino-giizis |
raspberry moon |
| 8th |
miini-giizis |
berry moon |
| 9th |
manoominike-giizis |
rice moon |
| 10th |
binaakwe-giizis |
falling leaves moon |
| 11th |
gashkadino-giizis(oog) |
freezing moon |
| 12th |
manidoo-gizisoons |
small spirits moon |
| 13th |
|
|
Apache
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
|
time of flying ants |
| 2nd |
|
|
| 3rd |
|
|
| 4th |
|
moon of the big leaves |
| 5th |
|
season when the leaves are green |
| 6th |
|
|
| 7th |
|
moon of the horse/time of ripeness |
| 8th |
|
|
| 9th |
|
|
| 10th |
|
time when the corn is taken in |
| 11th |
|
|
| 12th |
|
|
| 13th |
|
|
Arapaho
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
|
when snow blows like spirits in the wind |
| 2nd |
|
frost sparkling in the sun |
| 3rd |
|
buffalo dropping their calves |
| 4th |
|
ice breaking in the river |
| 5th |
|
when the ponies shed their shaggy hair |
| 6th |
|
when when the buffalo bellows |
| 7th |
|
the hot weather begins |
| 8th |
|
when the chokeberries begin to ripen |
| 9th |
|
geese shedding their feathers |
| 10th |
|
drying grass |
| 11th |
|
falling leaves |
| 12th |
|
when the rivers start to freeze |
| 13th |
|
popping trees |
Assiniboine
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
wicogandu |
center moon |
| 2nd |
amhanska |
long dry moon |
| 3rd |
wicinstayazan |
sore eye moon |
| 4th |
tabehatawi |
frog moon |
| 5th |
indiwiga |
idle moon |
| 6th |
wahequosmewi |
full leaf moon |
| 7th |
wasasa |
red berries |
| 8th |
capasapsaba |
black cherries |
| 9th |
wahpegiwi |
yellow leaf |
| 10th |
anukope |
joins both sides |
| 11th |
Tasnaheja-hagikta |
striped gopher looks back moon |
| 12th |
cuhotgawi |
frost moon |
| 13th |
wicogandu-sungagu |
center moon’s younger brother |
Cherokee
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
unolvtana |
cold moon |
| 2nd |
kagali |
bony moon |
| 3rd |
anvhyi |
strawberry moon |
| 4th |
kawohni |
flower moon |
| 5th |
ansgvti |
planting moon |
| 6th |
dehaluyi |
green corn moon |
| 7th |
kuyegwona |
ripe corn moon |
| 8th |
galohni |
drying up moon |
| 9th |
dulisdi |
nut moon |
| 10th |
duninhdi |
harvest moon |
| 11th |
nvdadegwa |
trading moon |
| 12th |
vskihyi |
snow moon |
| 13th |
|
|
Cheyenne
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
|
moon of the strong cold |
| 2nd |
|
|
| 3rd |
|
|
| 4th |
|
when the geese lay eggs |
| 5th |
|
when the horses get fat |
| 6th |
|
|
| 7th |
|
|
| 8th |
|
|
| 9th |
|
drying grass moon |
| 10th |
|
freeze begins on stream’s edge |
| 11th |
|
deer rutting moon |
| 12th |
|
when the wolves run together |
| 13th |
|
|
Choctaw
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
Hash Haf |
moon of sassafras |
| 2nd |
Hash Chaf Iskono |
moon of little famine |
| 3rd |
Hash Chaf Chito |
moon of big famine |
| 4th |
Hash Mali |
moon of winds |
| 5th |
Hash Bissi |
moon of blackberry |
| 6th |
Hash Bihi |
moon of mulberry |
| 7th |
Hash Takkon |
moon of peach |
| 8th |
Hash Watallak |
moon of the crane |
| 9th |
Hash Luak Mosholi |
green corn festival |
| 10th |
Hash Tek Inhasi |
courting time |
| 11th |
Hash Koinchush |
moon of the wildcat |
| 12th |
Hash Koichus |
moon of the panther |
| 13th |
Hash Haponi |
moon of cooking |
Comanche
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
toh mua |
year moon |
| 2nd |
positsu mua |
sleet moon |
| 3rd |
tahpooku mua |
cottonball moon |
| 4th |
tahma mua |
new spring moon |
| 5th |
totsiyaa mua |
flower moon |
| 6th |
puhi mua |
leaf moon |
| 7th |
urui mua |
hot moon |
| 8th |
tahma mua |
summer moon |
| 9th |
taboo mua |
paperman moon |
| 10th |
yuba mua |
fall moon |
| 11th |
yubaubi mua |
heading to winter moon |
| 12th |
wahi mua |
evergreen moon |
| 13th |
|
|
Cree
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
gishepapiwatekimumpizun |
moon when the old fellow spreads the brush |
| 2nd |
cepizun |
old moon |
| 3rd |
migisupizum |
eagle moon |
| 4th |
kiskipizun |
gray goose moon |
| 5th |
aligipizun |
frog moon |
| 6th |
sagipukawipizun |
moon leaves come out |
| 7th |
opaskwuwipizun |
moon when ducks begin to molt |
| 8th |
opunhopizun |
moon young ducks begin to fly |
| 9th |
weweopizun |
snow goose moon |
| 10th |
opinahamowipizun |
moon the birds fly south |
| 11th |
kaskatinopizun |
moon the rivers begin to freeze |
| 12th |
papiwatiginashispizun |
moon when the young fellow spreads the brush |
| 13th |
|
|
Creek
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
rv’fo cusee |
winter’s younger brother |
| 2nd |
hotvlee-hv’see |
wind moon |
| 3rd |
tasahcucee |
little spring moon |
| 4th |
tasahcee-rakko |
big spring moon |
| 5th |
kee-hvsee |
mulberry moon |
| 6th |
kvco-hvsee |
blackberry moon |
| 7th |
hiyucee |
little harvest |
| 8th |
hiyo-rakko |
big harvest |
| 9th |
otowoskucee |
little chestnut moon |
| 10th |
otowoskv-rakko |
big chestnut moon |
| 11th |
echolee |
frost moon |
| 12th |
rvfo-rakko |
big winter |
| 13th |
|
|
Haida
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
táan kungáay |
bear hunting moon |
| 2nd |
hlgit’ún kungáay |
goose moon |
| 3rd |
xitgáas kungáay |
noisy goose moon |
| 4th |
xíit kungáay |
migratory geese moon |
| 5th |
tahálaa kungáay |
food-gathering moon |
| 6th |
gáan kungáay |
berries ripen moon |
| 7th |
chíin kungáay |
salmon moon |
| 8th |
k’íit’aas kungáay |
cedar bark for hat & baskets |
| 9th |
kálk kungáay |
ice moon |
| 10th |
cha’áaw kungáay |
bears hibernate |
| 11th |
t’a’áaw kungáay |
snow moon |
| 12th |
gáangálang kungáay |
ripe berries |
| 13th |
|
|
Hopi
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
paamuya |
moon of life at its height |
| 2nd |
powamuya |
moon of purification and renewal |
| 3rd |
osomuyaw |
moon of the whispering wind |
| 4th |
kwiyamuyaw |
moon of windbreak |
| 5th |
hakitonmuyaw |
moon of waiting |
| 6th |
uyismuya |
moon of planting |
| 7th |
nimanmuya |
moon of the homedance |
| 8th |
paamuya |
moon of joyful |
| 9th |
nasanmuyaw |
moon of full harvest |
| 10th |
angaqmuyaw |
moon of long hair |
| 11th |
kelmuya |
moon of fledgling hawk |
| 12th |
kyaamuya |
moon of respect |
| 13th |
|
|
Kalapuya
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
atalka |
stay inside |
| 2nd |
atchiulartadsh |
out of food |
| 3rd |
atcha-uyu |
women dig camas |
| 4th |
amanta kotantal |
time for pounding camas |
| 5th |
atantal |
camas blooming time |
| 6th |
anishnalya |
camas ripe |
| 7th |
ameku |
mid summer |
| 8th |
akupiu |
end of summer |
| 9th |
atchiutchutin |
after harvest |
| 10th |
atchalankuaik |
start getting sagittair roots |
| 11th |
alangitapi |
moving inside for winter |
| 12th |
adshampak |
not bad weather |
| 13th |
|
|
Lakota
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
wiotehika wi |
hard moon |
| 2nd |
cannapopa wi |
moon when the trees crack because of the cold |
| 3rd |
istawicayazan wi |
moon of the sore eyes |
| 4th |
wihakaktacepapi wi |
moon when the wife had to crack bones for marrow fat |
| 5th |
canwape to wi |
moon of the green leaves |
| 6th |
wipazatkan waste wi |
moon when the berries are good |
| 7th |
canpasapa wi |
moon when the chokecherries are black |
| 8th |
wasutoa wi |
moon of the ripening |
| 9th |
canwape gi wi |
moon of the brown leaves |
| 10th |
canwape kasna wi |
moon when the wind shakes off leaves |
| 11th |
waniyetu wi |
moon when winter begins |
| 12th |
wanicokan wi |
moon when the deer shed their antlers |
| 13th |
|
|
Mohawk
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
tsothohrhko:wa |
the big cold |
| 2nd |
enniska |
lateness |
| 3rd |
ennisko:wa |
much lateness |
| 4th |
onerahtokha |
budding time |
| 5th |
onerahtohko:wa |
time of big leaf |
| 6th |
ohiari:wa |
ripening time |
| 7th |
ohiarihko:wa |
time of much ripening |
| 8th |
seskehko:wa |
time of freshness |
| 9th |
seskhoko:wa |
time of much freshness |
| 10th |
kentenha |
time of poverty |
| 11th |
kentenhko:wa |
time of much poverty |
| 12th |
tsothohrha |
time of cold |
| 13th |
|
|
Omaha
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
|
moon when snow drifts into tipis |
| 2nd |
|
moon when geese come home |
| 3rd |
|
little frog moon |
| 4th |
|
|
| 5th |
|
|
| 6th |
|
moon when the buffalo bulls hunt the cows |
| 7th |
|
moon when the buffalo bellow |
| 8th |
|
|
| 9th |
|
moon when the deer paw the earth |
| 10th |
|
|
| 11th |
|
|
| 12th |
|
|
| 13th |
|
|
Passamaquoddy
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
opolahsomuwehs |
whirling wind moon |
| 2nd |
piyatokonis |
when the spruce tips fall |
| 3rd |
siqon |
spring moon |
| 4th |
ponatom |
spring moon |
| 5th |
siqonomeq |
alewive moon |
| 6th |
nipon |
summer moon |
| 7th |
accihte |
ripening moon |
| 8th |
apsqe |
feather shedding moon |
| 9th |
toqakiw |
autumn moon |
| 10th |
amilkahtin |
harvest moon |
| 11th |
kelotonuhket |
freezing moon |
| 12th |
punam |
frost fish moon |
| 13th |
|
|
Ponca
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
|
snow thaws moon |
| 2nd |
|
|
| 3rd |
|
water stands in the ponds moon |
| 4th |
|
|
| 5th |
|
|
| 6th |
|
hot weather begins moon |
| 7th |
|
middle of summer moon |
| 8th |
|
corn is in the silk moon |
| 9th |
|
|
| 10th |
|
when they store food in caches |
| 11th |
|
|
| 12th |
|
|
| 13th |
|
|
Potawatomi
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
mkokisis |
moon of the bear |
| 2nd |
mnokesis |
moon of the rabbit |
| 3rd |
cicakkises |
moon of the crane |
| 4th |
|
|
| 5th |
te’minkeses |
moon of the strawberry |
| 6th |
msheke’kesis |
moon of the turtle |
| 7th |
we’shkitdaminkese |
moon of the young corn |
| 8th |
e’mnomukkises |
moon of the middle |
| 9th |
|
|
| 10th |
e’sksegtukkisis |
moon of the first frost |
| 11th |
pne’kesis |
moon of the turkey |
| 12th |
|
|
| 13th |
|
|
Pueblo
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
|
|
| 2nd |
|
moon of the cedar dust wind |
| 3rd |
|
moon when the leaves break forth |
| 4th |
|
|
| 5th |
|
|
| 6th |
|
moon when the leaves are dark green |
| 7th |
|
|
| 8th |
|
|
| 9th |
|
moon when the corn is taken in |
| 10th |
|
|
| 11th |
|
moon when all is gathered in |
| 12th |
|
|
| 13th |
|
|
Shawnee
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
ha’kwi kiishthwa |
severe moon |
| 2nd |
haatawi kiishthwa |
crow moon |
| 3rd |
shkipiye kwiitha |
sap moon |
| 4th |
poosh kwiitha |
half moon |
| 5th |
hotehimini kiishthwa |
strawberry moon |
| 6th |
mshkatiwi kiishthwa |
raspberry moon |
| 7th |
miini kiishthwa |
blackberry moon |
| 8th |
po’kamawi kiishthwa |
plum moon |
| 9th |
ha’shimini kiishthwa |
papaw moon |
| 10th |
sha’teepakanootha |
wilted moon |
| 11th |
kini kiishthwa |
long moon |
| 12th |
washilatha kiishthwa |
eccentric moon |
| 13th |
|
|
Shoshone
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
goa-mea’ |
freezing |
| 2nd |
isha-mea’ |
coyote |
| 3rd |
yu’a-mea’ |
warming |
| 4th |
badua’-mea’ |
melting |
| 5th |
buhisea’-mea’ |
budding |
| 6th |
daa’za-mea’ |
summer starting |
| 7th |
daza-mea’ |
summer |
| 8th |
guuteyai-mea |
hot |
| 9th |
yeba-mea’ |
fall |
| 10th |
naa-mea’ |
rutting |
| 11th |
ezhe’i-mea’ |
cold |
| 12th |
dommo-mea’ |
winter |
| 13th |
|
|
Sioux
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
|
wolves run together |
| 2nd |
|
dark red calves |
| 3rd |
|
sore eye moon |
| 4th |
|
red grass appearing |
| 5th |
|
moon when the ponies shed |
| 6th |
|
strawberry moon |
| 7th |
|
red blooming lilies |
| 8th |
|
cherries turn black |
| 9th |
|
calves grow hair |
| 10th |
|
changing season |
| 11th |
|
falling leaves |
| 12th |
|
when deer shed their horns |
| 13th |
|
|
Tlingit
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
t’aawak dís |
goose moon |
| 2nd |
s’eek dís |
black bear moon |
| 3rd |
héentáanáx kayaan’i dís |
underwater plants sprout |
| 4th |
x’eigaa kayaaní dís |
budding moon of plants and shrubs |
| 5th |
at gadaxéet yinaa dís |
moon before pregnancy |
| 6th |
at gadaxéet dís |
birth moon |
| 7th |
xaat dísi |
salmon moon |
| 8th |
sha-ha-yi |
berries ripe on mountain |
| 9th |
dis yádi |
big moon |
| 10th |
dís tlein |
young animals moon |
| 11th |
kukahaa dís |
scraping moon |
| 12th |
shanáx dís |
unborn seals are getting hair |
| 13th |
|
|
Winnebago
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
|
|
| 2nd |
|
fish-running moon |
| 3rd |
|
|
| 4th |
|
planting corn moon |
| 5th |
|
hoeing-corn moon |
| 6th |
|
|
| 7th |
|
corn-popping moon |
| 8th |
|
|
| 9th |
|
|
| 10th |
|
|
| 11th |
|
little bear’s moon |
| 12th |
|
big bear’s moon |
| 13th |
|
|
Wishram
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
|
her cold moon |
| 2nd |
|
shoulder to shoulder around the fire moon |
| 3rd |
|
long days moon |
| 4th |
|
the 8th moon |
| 5th |
|
the 9th moon |
| 6th |
|
fish spoils easily moon |
| 7th |
|
salmon go up rivers in a group moon |
| 8th |
|
blackberry patches moon |
| 9th |
|
her acorns moon |
| 10th |
|
travel in canoes moon |
| 11th |
|
snowy mountains in the morning moon |
| 12th |
|
her winter houses moon |
| 13th |
|
|
Zuni
| Moon |
Name |
Meaning |
| 1st |
dayamcho yachunne |
when limbs of trees are broken by snow |
| 2nd |
onon u’la’ukwamme |
no snow in trails |
| 3rd |
li’dekwakkya ts’ana |
little sand storm |
| 4th |
li’dekwakkya lana |
great sand storm |
| 5th |
yachun kwa’shi’amme |
no name |
| 6th |
ik’ohbu yachunne |
turning moon |
| 7th |
dayamcho yachunne |
when limbs of trees are broken by fruit |
| 8th |
|
|
| 9th |
li’dekwakkwya ts’ana |
corn is harvested |
| 10th |
li’dekwakkwya lana |
big wind moon |
| 11th |
|
|
| 12th |
ik’ohbu yachunne |
sun has traveled home to rest |
| 13th |
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