As well as using the moon phases to track the passage of time, many cultures traditionally named each full moon. Here is one example:
January The Wolf Moon – a time to protect loved ones, and family (also called storm moon)
February The Chaste Moon – renewal, youth, mending a broken heart, new love as the signs of winter begin to fade.
March The Seed Moon – rebirth, to rejuvenate passion, to plant the seeds of new love.
April The Hare Moon – fertility, growth; a time to honour the Goddess Ostara, patron of springtime.
May The Dyad Moon – a time to bond, find a partner, share.
June The Mead Moon – a time to pick fresh flowers, hay, grass for love talismans.
July The Wort Moon – a time to gather herbs (Worts) to dry for love spells later on.
August The Barley Moon – a time to manifest love, cast spells for what you want, harvest the first fruits.
September The Harvest Moon – a time to celebrate the crops, and the earth’s bounty.
October The Hunter’s Moon – a time to prepare and preserve foods for the long winter ahead.
November The Snow Moon – a time to honour the Snow Queen, the Frost Giants, and the cold cycle of the earth; a time to provide warmth and coziness.
December The Oak Moon – a time to strengthen a relationship, to build Yule fires.
The Harvest Moon and The Hunter’s Moon: The Harvest Moon is the Full Moon closest to the September Equinox around September 22. Most years it is in September, but every three years or so, it is in October. The Harvest Moon is the only Full Moon name which is determined by the equinox rather than a month.
The Hunter’s Moon is the first full Moon to follow the Harvest Moon, meaning that it can occur in either October or November.
So the Harvest Moon and the Hunter’s Moon are the only two full Moon names associated with an astronomical event rather than a particular calendar month.
What Is a Blood Moon? A total lunar eclipse is sometimes called a Blood Moon, because of the red tinge the Full Moon takes on when fully eclipsed. The term is also used to describe four total lunar eclipses that occur in a row.
Two Types of Blue Moons: There are two definitions of the term that are commonly used today:
Calendrical Blue Moon: The second full moon to occur in a calendar month.
Seasonal Blue Moon: The extra full Moon that occurs within an astronomical season. One season—defined by the dates of the solstices and equinoxes—typically has three full moons occur within it. If a season instead has four full moons, then the third full moon (not the fourth) in the season may be called a Blue Moon.
A Black Moon: when there are 2 New Moons in a calendar month. Or when there are no New Moons in a month, which could only happen in February. And in the same way as a ‘Blue Moon’, if a season has four new moons occur within it then the third new moon (not the fourth) may be called a Black Moon.