Moons
July through December
The Moon of July is also known as Wort Moon, Moon of Claiming, Moon of Blood (because of mosquitoes), Blessing Moon, Maedmonat (Meadow Month), Hewimanoth (Hay Month), Fallow Moon, Buck Moon, and Thunder Moon.
The Panathenaea was observed at the July Full Moon to honor Pallas Athene. Wort is the old Anglo-Saxon term for herb. And as the "Wort Moon" as they called it waxes Full, the time for gathering herbs is at hand.
The Anglo-Saxon name for July is Aeftera Litha, which means "After Litha".
An alternative Anglo-Saxon name for July is Maedmonat, which means "Meadow Month" due to meadows being at their greatest point of growth in this month.
Iuil, the Irish name for this month is also based on the name Julius.
Old Sayings & Lore
If the New Moon is seen for the first time straight ahead, it predicts good fortune until the next New Moon.
If there are either two New of Full Moons this month, the weather will be unfavor-able until the next New Moon.
The Moon of August is also called Barley Moon, Dispute Moon, Wedmonath (Vegetation Month), Harvest Moon, and Moon When Cherries Turn Black.
The Hindu Festival for Ganesha, called the Ganesha Chaturthi is held on the full Moon this month.
The American backwoods tradition calls this months Full Moon Sturgeon or Corn Moon.
The ancients called this Full Moon Barley Moon, a time to contemplate the eternalness of life.
Old Sayings & Lore
If a member of the family dies at the time of the New Moon, three deaths will follow.
The Fenland country of England is an odd place that has kept its superstitions longer than other areas. They say that if public dinners are not held at Full Moon, tragedy will follow. Since Fenland roads are built high above the marshy land and bordered on both sides by deep ditches, one can see why this is more sense than superstition.
The Moon of September is also called Wine Moon, Singing Moon, Sturgeon Moon, Haligmonath (Holy Month), Witumanoth (Wood Month), and Moon When Deer Paw the Earth.
The Feast of Gauri is held at the New Moon in India.
The Incas celebrated the Citua, or Feast of the Moon at the New Moon nears the Autumn Equinox. Everyone performed a ritual cleansing, then smeared their faces with a paste of ground maize. There followed several days of feasting and dancing. This Moon festival was in honor of Mama Quilla, the Moon Goddess.
The Full Moon is the Festival of the Pig, which honors the Greek Goddess Demeter and the Norse Freyja.
The Irish name for this month is Mean Fomhair.
The modern Asatru call this the month of Shedding.
The annual Festival of Yue-ping was held in China from the New Moon to the Full Moon. People made round cakes and painted figures of women or a hare and tress on them. These were called Yue-ping, or Moon Cakes. These cakes were presented to relatives and friends.
Old Sayings & Lore
The Chinese said that the Moon Mother had twenty-eight "houses" (Hsiu) and rested each night in a different one. In each "house" she kept a warrior-hero consort who kept her company and did her bidding.
If it is fair the first day of September, it will remain so at least until the beginning of October.
The Moon of October is also called Harvest Moon, Hunter's Moon, Shedding Moon, Winterfelleth (Winter Coming), Windermanoth (Vintage Month), Falling Leaf Moon, Ten Colds Moon, and Moon of the Changing Season.
The Aztecs and Toltecs celebrated the Festival of Ciuteotl, the snake woman Goddess at the Full Moon.
The Disirblot (or Disablot) of Freyja observed at the Full Moon marked the beginning of the Winter season for the Norse.
The ancient Hawaiians celebrated a four-month long festival called the Makahiki, beginning at the first Full Moon of this month. The God Lono had a special celebration of five days during this time, filled with games, pageantry, the hula, surfing, feasting, and tax collecting.
The Irish name for the month is Deireadh Fomhair.
The Frankish name for the month, Windermanoth (Vintage Month), refers to the wine harvest.
The American backwoods tradition calls the October Full Moon the Hunter's Moon.
Old Sayings & Lore
The more bright red berries that can be seen in the hedgerows this month, the more frost and snow there will be in the forthcoming winter.
October is known for its second summer in much of the Northern Hemisphere:
Sweden - St. Bridget's Summer.
U. S. - Indian Summer.
Italy - Summer of St. Teresa.
Germany and Switzerland - Summer of St. Gall.
England - St. Luke's Summer.
The Gaelic word for fortune comes from "that which denotes a Full Moon." The Druids believed that when the circle of the Moon was complete, good fortune was given to those who knew how to ask the gods for it.
The Moon of November is also called Dark Moon, Fog Moon, Beaver Moon, Mourning Moon, Blotmonath (Sacrifice Month), Herbistmanoth (Harvest Month), Mad Moon, Moon of Storms, and Moon When Deer Shed Antlers.
The Irish name for both Samhain/All Saints and the month is La Shamhna.
The Anglo-Saxon name for the month, Blotmonath (Sacrifice Month), is inidicative of the time for killing the livestock that could not be kept through the winter months.
The modern Asatru call this month Fog Moon, after the most common weather for the month.
The American backwoods tradition call this moon Beaver Moon.
Old Sayings & Lore
The modern Asatru festival of the Einherjar, the heroes who guard the Gods is observed on November 11.
St. Martin's Day is also observed on November 11, and served as the New Year of olden times in the Isle of Man. This was also called Old November Day, Martinmas, or Hollantide, and was considered a weather marker for the year. Fine weather on this day was known as St. Martin's Summer:
If ducks do slide at Hollantide,
At Christmas they will swim.
If ducks do swim at Hollantide,
At Christmas they will slide.
Winter is on his
At St. Martin's Day.
The Moon of December is also called Oak Moon, Wolf Moon, Moon of Long Nights, Long Night's Moon, Aerra Geola (Month Before Yule), Wintermonat (Winter Month), Heilagmanoth (Holy Month), Big Winter Moon, and Moon of Popping Trees.
The Anglo-Saxon name for the month was Aerra Geola which means Month Before Yule.
The Irish name for December is Mi na Nollag, which means Christmas Month.
Many modern Pagans refer to the Full Moon nearest the Winter Solstice as the Oak Moon, the Moon of the newborn Year, the Divine Child. The ancient oak has its trunk and branches in the material world of the living, while its roots reach deep into the underworld. So like the Newborn Child and the oak, we too dwell simultan-ously in two worlds - the world of physical matter and the world of spirit.
Old Sayings & Lore
Never cut your hair, begin a journey, move into a new house, start a business, or cut out a dress on a Friday in particular, and especially if a New or Full Moon falls on a Friday.
If you walk nine times around a faery rath or hill at the Full Moon, you will find the entrance.
The name Mount St. Helens means "Moon Mountain."
The word "create" comes from the same word-root as "crescent."
The ancient Egyptians said that the Dark Moon and Full Moon were the two eyes of Horus.
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