Tuesday, August 26, 2014

What is a “Barley Moon”?

21 August 2014
The Short Answer (TSA)


            The “Barley Moon” is the Full Moon in the month of September.  Properly, the term “Barley Moon” refers to a period of time – one whole cycle of lunar phases.  So the Barley Moon begins with the New Moon just before the Full Barley Moon in September and continues until the next New Moon.

            The Farmers Almanac calls the September Full Moon the “Harvest Moon” in North America.  And the September Full Moon in England (United Kingdom) is also called the “Harvest Moon.”  So, where did this “Barley Moon” come from?

            Barley was one of the most important crops in medieval England.  Like wheat, you could “do everything” with barley.  Of course, you actually couldn’t do everything with barley, but human beings could live pretty well as long as the barley crop came in.

            Barley was used as currency.  The length of a barleycorn was unit of measurement.  You even had a building in which you stored your barley: the word, “barn,” comes from an early form of the word “barley.”  If you got bored with barley bread, you could always enjoy a barley drink.  The first alcoholic beverages in Europe were beer-type drinks brewed with barley. 

            As more and different types of crops were grown, the September Full Moon stopped being just the Barley Moon and became the Harvest Moon.

M Grossmann of Hazelwood, Missouri
(& Belleville, Illinois)
About the Author
21 August 2014

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