Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the Cold Moon is so delightful! The full Moon for December appears on December 14, 2024. Learn why the full Cold Moon (also called the Long Night Moon) is special and when the best times for viewing it are.
When to See December’s Full Moon
The full Moon for December is 100% illuminated on December 15, 4:02 A.M. (EST). To find the exact time it will appear in your area, consult our Moon Rise Calculator.
The Full Cold Moon
The moon names we use in The Old Farmer’s Almanac come from Native Americans, Colonial Americans, or other traditional sources passed down through generations. Different Native American peoples traditionally used the monthly Moons and nature’s corresponding signs as a calendar to track the seasons.
December’s full Moon is most commonly known as the Cold Moon—a Mohawk name that conveys the frigid conditions of this time of year when cold weather truly begins to grip us.
The Long Night Moon
This full Moon has also been called the Long Night Moon (Mohican), as it rises during the “longest” nights of the year, near the December winter solstice.
This name is doubly fitting because December’s full Moon shines above the horizon for a more extended period than most full Moons.
Alternative December Moon Names
Other names that allude to the cold and snow include Drift Clearing Moon (Cree), Frost Exploding Trees Moon (Cree), Moon of the Popping Trees (Oglala), Hoar Frost Moon (Cree), Snow Moon (Haida, Cherokee), and Winter Maker Moon (Western Abenaki).
Other names include Moon When the Deer Shed Their Antlers (Dakota) and Little Spirit Moon (Anishinaabe).
In Europe, ancient pagans called the December full Moon the “Moon Before Yule” in honor of the Yuletide festival celebrating the return of the sun heralded by the winter solstice.
Source: Catherine Boeckmann, The Old Farmer’s Almanac
Photo Credit: space.com
