If you hear howling tonight, it might just be because of the Full Wolf Moon. The first full moon of the year has a name, but the Full Wolf Moon is January isn't the only moon with a special name.
According to Space.com, full moons started being named hundreds of years ago by Native American tribes. In order to keep track of the seasons, they gave special names to each full moon and the names were dedicated to each moon of the month.
European settlers adapted this tactic and created some of the own names for moons. A named moon doesn't occur on a set date every year. Due to the 29.5 day lunar month, the date changes each year.
This year, the first full moon of 2013 and the first full moon of January occurs on January 26 and is known as the Full Wolf Moon. According to Space.com, the January full moon got this name since packs of wolves would howl outside Indian villages during the cold, snowy month. Some also called in the Old Moon or the Moon after Yule and some called it the Full Snow Moon.
However many applied the Full Snow Moon name to the February moon. It got this name due to the heavy snows that fall during February. The snow also made hunting very difficult, so some called the February moon the Full Hunger Moon.
The March moon is known at the Full Worm Moon as this is when the ground began to get softer and worms would appear again.
April has the Full Pink Moon as this is when flowers, including the grass pink or wild phlox, began to blossom across the country. However more flowers tend to grow in May, which is why May has the Full Flower Moon.
One of the great things about June is that it's strawberry season! This is why June's moon is known as the Full Strawberry Moon.
July is when new deer started to have their antlers come in, so the moon is called the Full Buck Moon. In August, the fish population at the Great Lakes was abundant, so the moon is called the Full Sturgeon Moon.
This year's September moon is called the Full Harvest Moon as it will occur close to the fall equinox, but this sometimes occur in October. However the October moon is typically called the Full Hunter's Moon as this is when hunting season really kicks off.
November is when it really starts to get cold, which means it's time to set beaver traps to collect a good supply of beaver fur.
What happens during December? It gets cold. That's why the December full moon is appropriately named the Full Cold Moon.
No matter what month it is, the full moon is always a terrific sight to see! Don't miss the Full Wolf Moon and all of the celestial happenings this year!
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
