Full moon names for August 2013

For thousands of years we humans have used the waxing and waning of the moon to keep track of the passing year and set schedules for hunting, planting, and harvesting. Ancient cultures all over the planet have given these full moons names based on the behavior of the plants, animals, or weather during that month. Although times have changes and priorities may not be the same I still think it is a lovely idea to assign a special name to the full moon of the month that we are in.

One of the popular names for the full moon in August is the Full Sturgeon. The fishing tribes of North America named this moon after the fish because sturgeon, a large fish of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water, were most often caught during the full moon of August.

Other Native American tribes named this moon the Full Red Moon because, as the Moon rises, it appears reddish through the haze of the late summer. ‘Moon when all things ripen’ and ‘women’s moon’ were other popular full moon names amongst north American tribes. As this moon occurs during the harvest of many grains terms relating to that harvest were popular thus we see names such as green corn moon and harvest moon.

Colonial Amercicans named this moon Dog days moon. This comes from the latin (Latin: diēs caniculārēs) which means the hottest, most sultry days of summer. This name, dog days moon, also comes from the ancient belief that Sirius, also called the Dog Star, was somehow responsible for the hot weather. The Dog Days originally were the days when Sirius rose just before or at the same time as sunrise this is called heliacal rising.  August is also a time when we see many thunder storms hence the pagan name of medieval moon. 

Persephone is a Goddess related to the August full moon and often is depicted carrying a sheaf of barley as a symbol of the harvest. In India today, Hindu people honour the elephant-headed god Ganesha. This God who removes obstacles and brings good luck. Flowers and dishes of rice are set before his statues during this celebration however it is considered unlucky to look at the full Moon during this festival.
Below is a list of some  of the full moon names for August. I’m sure there are many more and when I have a bit more time I intend to do a little more research and find out some more on this fascinating subject.

Colonial American         Dog day’s moon

Chinese                           Harvest moon

Cherokee                           Fruit moon

Choktaw                           Women's Moon

Dakotah Sioux                  Moon When All Things Ripen

North American                   Full sturgeon moon/full red moon

Celtic                                    Dispute Moon

English Medieval         Corn Moon/ grain moon

Pagan                           Lightening Moon

Full moon blessings to everyone, Alison xxx