THE SHORT ANSWER (TSA)
In Hawaii, the late summer and autumn are periods of relatively little rain. During that period of the year, the crescent moon, seen from topical latitudes appears to be upright in the sky. In Hawaiian mythology, this is the “Dry Moon.” For people living in most of the world, the upright crescent moon is nothing unusual. But, for the old Hawaiians, this upright crescent moon was associated with drought and picked-up the name: Dry Moon.
To the old Hawaiians, during the summer and autumn dry spell,
the upright crescent moon looked like a dry bowl turned on its side
from which all the water (rain) had been poured out
But, because of the tilt of the earth, the moon, as seen from Hawaii, rotates as December approaches. By January each crescent moon, before first and after the last quarter of each lunar cycle, seems to be lying on its side with its two ends pointing upward like two horns. To the ancient Hawaiians this crescent moon also looked like a bowl. But this moon-bowl was in a position to hold water.
This moon-bowl of January and February got the name wet moon. As the story goes, the bowl moon fills with rain water, until it becomes the “Dripping Wet Moon.”
With the Dripping Wet Moon, the spring rains begin and extend into summer. Finally, in the late summer, when the rains stop, the crescent moon has rotated back to an upright position – looking like all the water gathered in the “bowl” has been poured out – “The Dry Moon” -- again.
Mark Grossmann of Hazelwood, Missouri & Belleville, Illinois
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