Look up tonight! Full Cold Moon will light up skies this evening .
The main name for December’s full moon, the Cold Moon, is attributed to the tradition of the Mohawk people, according to the Farmer’s Almanac. The name refers to the icy conditions of December as the grip of winter tightens around the Northern Hemisphere .
Alternative names for December’s full moon from Native American traditions also reflect the increasingly frigid conditions and the deepening of winter. These include the “Snow Moon” in the Haida and Cherokee traditions and the Western Abenaki people’s moniker for the December full moon, the “Winter Maker Moon.”
Other names for December’s full moon describe how the depths of winter impact flora and fauna. These include the Cree’s wonderfully evocative “Frost Exploding Trees Moon” and the Oglala people’s “Moon of the Popping Trees” name. These nature-based monikers also include the Dakota people’s incredibly descriptive name for the December full moon, the “Moon When the Deer Shed Their Antlers.”
The Mohican name for the December full moon, the “Long Night Moon,” refers to the fact it rises on the nights close to the winter solstice, which are the longest nights of the year. That name is particularly apt this year as December 2023’s full moon will linger over the horizon for longer than most full moons this year due to its proximity to the Winter Solstice , the day of the year with the least sunlight hours, which this year occurred on Thursday, Dec. 21.
The next full moon and the first of the coming year is January’s Wolf Moon, which rises on Jan. 25, 2024.
~ Robert Lea ~
Artist Credit : Al Designs

