In the Northern Hemisphere the full moon of the Third Harvest or the holidays Halloween and Samhain corresponds with the third and final harvest for Earth based religions, marks the end of summer and the beginning of winter. Farmers are now taking stock of their crop yield for the year and have begun to prepare food for the coming winter for their families and livestock. It is also a time when corn, pumpkins, squash, and wild rice are ready for gathering.
This is the moon that told our ancestors who lived off the land that it was time to prepare our food stores for Winter if they hadn’t already started to do so. The most common signs of The Hunter’s Full Moon are the bare fields that have already been harvested, the crisp nights, and the final crop coming in from the fields. This moon also served as a signal to the settlers that is was time to hunt for game. This moon reminded them to prepare their Winter rations and wood for their fires.
The Third Harvest Full Moon Names:
Harvest Moon – Cherokee, Celtic, Algonquin, Deborean Clan
Travel Moon
Dying Moon
Hunter’s Moon – Colonial American
Kindly Moon – Chinese
Blackberry Moon – Choctaw
Blood Moon – English Medieval, Neo Pagan
Moon When Quilling and Beading is Done – Sioux
Growing up on a Mid-Western farm, this was my favorite time of year. Farmers in our area were shooting the grain crop up into silos, and hunting season was in full swing. In high school many of the guys in my school would talk about scrambling to get the final crops of out the fields and would show up to school after having already been hunting in the early morning hours. The crisp air and football had set in for life in a small town and our nights were spent on bleachers cheering, at bonfires, or on hay rack rides.
See the Rest of the Full Moon Names of the Year here…
