Full Moon Names & Meanings
Each full moon of the year carries a traditional name rooted in seasonal folklore — from the Wolf Moon of January to the Cold Moon of December. Explore the meaning, folklore, and ritual for each one below.
Wolf Moon
January · Next: January 3, 2026
The Wolf Moon asks you to find warmth and companionship in the coldest, darkest stretch of the year. It is a moon of survival instinct, pack loyalty, and quiet inner fire — a reminder that even in scarcity, you are not alone.
Snow Moon
February · Next: February 2, 2026
Named for the heaviest snowfalls of the year in much of the Northern Hemisphere, this moon is about stillness, insulation, and conserving energy until spring. It favors rest, reflection, and protecting what is still fragile in you.
Worm Moon
March · Next: March 3, 2026
The last full moon of winter signals thaw — the ground softening enough for earthworm casts to reappear and birds to return. Spiritually, it marks the first visible proof that your own dormant plans are about to stir back to life.
Pink Moon
April · Next: April 2, 2026
Despite the name, this moon has nothing to do with the moon's actual color — it marks the early pink blooms of wild ground phlox that carpet eastern North America in spring. It is a moon of tender renewal and first blossoms after a long dormancy.
Flower Moon
May · Next: May 1, 2026
By May, flowers are abundant across the Northern Hemisphere, and this moon celebrates fullness, fertility, and the sensory richness of being fully alive. It is a generous, expressive energy that favors beauty, pleasure, and creative output.
Strawberry Moon
June · Next: June 30, 2026
This moon marks the short wild strawberry harvest season in the northeastern United States, and carries themes of sweetness, abundance, and the need to enjoy good things while they last.
Buck Moon
July · Next: July 29, 2026
Male deer regrow their antlers each year, and July is when new antlers emerge covered in velvet, visibly growing day by day. This moon favors bold growth that is still forming and not yet ready to be shown off or defended.
Sturgeon Moon
August · Next: August 28, 2026
Named for the lake sturgeon of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, most easily caught in this month, this moon favors patience, a longer time horizon, and trusting slow-moving results.
Harvest Moon
September or October · Next: September 26, 2026
Unlike the other named moons, the Harvest Moon is not tied to a fixed calendar month — it is simply the full moon that falls closest to the autumn equinox, in late September most years and occasionally in early October. Its extra-bright, early-rising light historically let farmers keep harvesting well after sunset. Spiritually, it is a moon of gathering in what you have grown all year and taking stock before the dark half of the year begins.
Hunter's Moon
October · Next: October 26, 2026
The full moon immediately following the Harvest Moon, this one historically lit the fields after the harvest was in, making it easier to hunt game fattened on fallen grain before winter. It carries a sharper, more decisive energy than its predecessor — the moon of preparation and provisioning.
Beaver Moon
November · Next: November 24, 2026
This moon marks the time when beavers finish their winter dams and lodges, and when trappers historically set beaver traps before waters froze. It favors diligent preparation, home-building, and securing shelter — literal or emotional — before scarcity sets in.
Cold Moon
December · Next: December 24, 2026
The last full moon of the calendar year, rising during the longest nights, the Cold Moon asks for acceptance of darkness rather than resistance to it. It is a moon of closure, inward retreat, and trust that light returns after the solstice.
Blue Moon
Variable · Next: May 31, 2026
A Blue Moon is not a color but a calendar quirk: it is the name given to the second full moon to occur within a single calendar month, or in an older definition, the third full moon in a season that has four. Because the lunar cycle (about 29.5 days) is shorter than most calendar months, this happens roughly once every two to three years — the origin of the phrase 'once in a blue moon.' It carries bonus, unplanned energy: an extra chance at something the regular cycle already addressed.