January Moon

Many people are familiar with September being named the month of the Harvest Moon,  but did you know every month has a full moon name?  Native Americans named the moons of each month to keep better track of the seasons and to describe the happenings of the month.  January has been most commonly called the Wolf Moon because it is when the wolves tend to pack up and howl at the moon.  January has also been called the Old Moon and the Cherokee have called it the Cold Moon.  Other Tribes have named the January Moon as well and I’ve listed a few of my favorites below.  For more information about the different moons you can check out this site.

• Arapaho- When the snow blows like spirits in the wind.
• Cheyenne- Moon of the strong cold.
• Omaha- Moon when snow drifts into tipis.
• Chippewa/Ojibwe- Great Spirit Moon.
• Algonquin- Sun has not strength to thaw.
• Sioux(3 names)- Strong cold, frost in teepee, wolves run together.

And a great one for those of us who made the resolution to lose weight this New Year,

• Pima- The weight loss month!(when animals lose their fat)