What is the “Celtic Dark Moon”?

30 October 2014

The Short Answer (TSA)

            In popular lore about the moon, there are a few of “Dark Moons.” And each has a slightly different meaning.   To the ancient Celts of Northern Europe, the full moon in the month of November was called the “Dark Moon.” The Celts believed the month of November to be the “darkest” month of the year. By “darkest,” they meant the month when all of nature was closest to death.

            November was called the “time of the falling seed.” The phrase is important because it referred to the falling of seed from the dead and dying plants of autumn. But the same phrase also included the seed as the promise of new life in the spring.

            Around this time of year, the Celts get something of a bad rap.  Their new year began with the darkest season of the year.  Their version of New Year’s Day was November 1st – sort of. 

            Just as the Celts began each year with the darkest season, they began each day at sunset rather than the sunrise.  So the Celtic version of New Year ’s Day begins at sundown on October 31st – well known to modern readers as Halloween.  But the modern celebration of Halloween has little in common with the Celtic counterpart.

            The Celts began their year with the festival of Samhain.  The festival, in part, celebrated the completion of the harvest.  In terms of food supply, it was the best time of year.  Maybe the most misunderstood part of the festival was the Celtic belief that, at that time, the barrier between the land of the living and the dead was lifted.

            Far from releasing a horde of monsters and goblins into the world, for the Celts, the land of dead became accessible -- particularly to artists who might enter that world and gain inspiration.  Also, as the barrier lifted, the spirits of the dead were said to return.  But the disposition and attitude of, and toward, these spirits was very different than the one presented by the modern celebrations of Halloween. 

            The spirits of dead ancestors and friends were thought to return to the homes of their descendants and warm themselves around the home’s hearth fire.  Far from tricksters trying pry lose a treat from their hosts, these were respected and beloved “absent ones” whose return would be met with welcome, reverence, and respect.

            This time of remembrance and respect for the dead was so universal among the Celts, that the Christian Church institutionalized it in two feasts, All Saints Day (November 1) and All Souls Day (November 2).  During these feasts prayers are said for the benefit of the “faithful departed.” 

            In Christian tradition, the entire month of November is devoted to remembrance of the dead.  If you live in the United States, this may seem unfamiliar.  But, throughout Europe, the month of November is a time when cemeteries fill with visitors leaving flowers and other remembrances. 

            Amazingly, the same thing is happening at the same time among traditional Chinese with their fourth yearly festival commemorating their absent ancestors.  There, too, cemeteries are filled with flowers and other traditional tokens of respect.

            WHO WERE THE CELTS?

            Actually, Celtic was a language rather than a particular tribe or nation.  The many tribes of the Celts were nomadic – traveling to different locations at different times of the year.   Although not particularly secretive in going about their daily business, they would become among the most mysterious people in history. 

            After the Roman Conquest, numerous writers described, with particulars, all that they saw the Celts do.  The Celts certainly didn’t seem to hide their actions, but outsiders could only watch – they weren’t “invited to the Celts’ parties.”  So, we know a great deal about what the Celts did, but almost nothing about why they did it.  Much of their social life is unknown to us.  In spite of over a century of interaction with their Roman conquerors, much of the spoken Celtic language of the time has been lost.

            THE CELTIC MOVEMENT

            Much of what survived of the old Celtic legends and traditions might have, also, been lost.  But, about 100 years ago, Europeans developed a sudden revival of interest in their Celtic history. 

            The Celtic Movement was period from the late 19th through the early 20th centuries when European writers, musicians, artists and cultural historians became preoccupied with their mysterious Celtic past.  As it happened, the artists of this period were particularly talented and produced Celtic inspired works that live on today and will surely be with us for some time to come.  But this was a double-edged sword. 

            In reviving the fragmentary tales and legends of the past, . . . well, . . . more than a few blank spots had to be “filled-in.”  It’s fair to say that the Movement produced intensely romantic portrayals of Celtic myths, legends and folklore that are probably a bit more colorful and exciting than were the actual events.  After all, this is art, and art must be entertaining.

            Although the Celts lived throughout most of Northern Europe, today, most associate all things Celtic with the England and Ireland.  In fact, this is probably because these nations produced many (thought not all) of the most talented and prolific artists of the Celtic Movement.

M Grossmann of Hazelwood, Missouri & Belleville, Illinois

About the Author

What is a “Blue Moon Butterfly”?

28 October 2014

The Short Answer (TSA)

            The Blue Moon Butterfly is a resident of Madagascar, Southeast Asia and the South Pacific Islands.  Each wing of this Black Butterfly has three white spots.  The lowest is circular and surrounded by a royal blue iridescence ring.  These lowest spots look like moons and got the Blue Moon Butterfly its name.

The Blue Moon Butterfly

            Strangely, you can have a bit of trouble searching for this butterfly on the internet as it is (too) often is found only under its formal name, Hypolimnas bolina.  

 Blue Moon Butterfly

The Blue Moon likes light woods and scrub areas but, sometimes, wanders into the thick green foliage around small towns and villages.  As butterflies go, the Blue Moon is a bit unusual for its careful nesting habits.  The male carefully guards the territory around the nest, while the female cares for, and protects, her eggs until they hatch

The Blue Moon Butterfly          

The caterpillar that emerges from each egg looks nothing like the mature butterfly.  With a bright orange head and black body, the caterpillar’s body soon develops bright, contrasting orange spines that “pick up” its orange head color. 

            After its flashy adolescence as an orange and black caterpillar, the time comes for a stay in its cocoon.  From there, the Blue Moon Butterfly emerges in its mature glory.

 Blue Moon Butterfly

            I particularly enjoy writing about creatures like this because I don’t have to write much.  Their beauty speaks for itself.

M Grossmann of Hazelwood, Missouri

& Belleville, Illinois

About the Author

What is a “Beaver Moon”?

23 October 2014

The Short Answer (TSA)

           Many call November’s full moon the “Beaver Moon.”  But it's October!  Why talk about November’s full moon in October?   Actually, almost everywhere in the world, and certainly in North America, “a moon” was a unit of time very close to a month.  The Native Americans measured and spoke of time in terms of “moons.”   

The Beaver Moon, like other moon names, isn’t just the name of the “full” moon in a particular month.  The Beaver Moon begins with the new moon – a time when the moon is not yet visible in the night sky.  Then, the period of time called the “Beaver Moon” continues through the full moon all the way until the next new moon.  

So, when is the new moon that begins the Beaver Moon period of about 29 days?  Why, it’s today -- 23 October 2014.  And the Beaver moon will last until the next new moon on 22 November 2014.  The Full Beaver Moon comes on the night of 5 November 2014.

But why is the November moon called the Beaver Moon?

Well, different places and people have different names for the “moons” of each month.  So, to understand why a particular moon has a particular name, we need to ask the question: who named it? 

The November moon was named after the beaver by the Native Americans of the Northern part of North America.  Then, the name was adopted by the first European settlers when they arrived in North America.  The name “Beaver Moon” is still used by The Farmer’s Almanac (Old and new) to describe the November moon.

Strangely, the beaver moon is one of the few names that has caused a controversy.  Most said that November’s moon was named after the beaver because it was the time of year when Native Americans and, then, early European settlers set beaver traps.  

After November, beaver trapping is less productive because the swamps and ponds, which are home to most beaver, freeze over.  After the freeze, the beaver doesn't hibernate.   But these creatures do tend to say “indoors” -- feeding off a supply of food they’ve already stored for the winter.

But November is also a time when beaver begin a flurry of activity to get ready for their “indoor” winter months.  So, could November’s moon be called the “beaver” moon because these animals are more active, and more often seen, around November?  Some argue that the name “beaver” had more to do with the beaver’s high-profile activity during the month of November and less to do with hunting and trapping. 

Of course, no one can say just how the November moon came to be called “beaver.”  Maybe it was because of beaver trapping.   Maybe it was because of the beaver’s attention-getting activity.  Or maybe it was both.

M Grossmann of Hazelwood, Missouri

& Belleville, Illinois

About the Author

 

What is a “Moon Chair”?

21 October 2014

The Short Answer (TSA)

            Even if you don’t recognize the name, “Moon Chair,” you’ve seen more than one.  I suppose the “proper” name for this chair is the “Papasan Chair.”  The same chair is sometimes called by a downright dull name – “bowl chair.”

The Moon Chair or Papasan Chair

            Even though I like the name “Moon Chair,” “bowl” gives you a good idea of what the moon chair looks like and “how it works.”   A bowl shaped frame of wicker, metal or wood rests on another upright frame.  The bowl part of the frame is tilted slightly and fitted with a large round (moon-shaped) cushion – to accommodate the sitter.

Moon Chair

            The “traditional” moon chair is three to five feet wide, but only a about “a foot and a quarter” (15 inches) deep.   The round cushion is usually made out of a velveteen material with thick cotton filling.  The round frame that holds the cushion is made of rattan or wicker wood.

Moon Chair Frames

            But where does the “traditional” moon chair come from?

            Indonesia was the original home of what, there, is called the Papasan Chair.  And this chair might still be almost unknown to the rest of the world were it not for its popularity with American service men and women stationed in the Philippines in the 1950’s.  The moon chair was such a hit that many Americans sent chairs home to relatives in the U.S. and brought chairs back with them when they returned to the United States.

As the story goes, Americans first coined the name moon chair to describe this uniquely round, though comfortable, chair.  Although individual moon chairs made their way to the United States, the first related imports for sale weren’t actually moon chairs.  Instead, the Mamasan Chair, a sort of double-seated version of the moon chair, was imported and became quite popular in the U.S. in the 1950’s.

The Mamasan Chair

Pier I Imports claims credit for “rediscovering” the moon chair in the Philippines in the early 1960’s.  The first imports went on sale in California and spread quickly throughout the United States and, then, beyond. 

The Moon Chair Sixties Style

The moon chair is a perfect example of “the comfortable chair.”  Surely, it was advertised in the 1960’s as an ideal chair in which to relax, read or watch TV.  Today, this chair is still advertised as an ideal chair for all those same pastimes, but a few new things, like “video gaming,” have been added to the list.   

In terms of style and design, Pier I Imports advertises the moon chair as less formal than living room furniture, but more formal than “outdoorsy” lawn furniture. 

One of their suggestions? 

Your sun room might be a perfect place for your moon chair.  How can anyone disagree?  The sun room and moon chair do seem like a match made in the heavens.

             (I couldn’t resist.)

M Grossmann of Hazelwood, Missouri & Belleville, Illinois

About the Author

What is a “Moondial”?

16 October 2014

The Short Answer (TSA)

            A “moondial” is just like a sundial.  Only, instead of working to tell time with the light of the sun, the moondial is designed to tell time by the light of the moon.

            A sundial was an early type of clock.  The sundial is a circle-shaped disk fixed to the ground.  Then, rising from the disk is a fixed wedge-shaped object called a “style.”  When the sun shines, the style casts a shadow, which points to various positions on the circular “face” of the sundial during the course of the day.

Sundial

            To someone who understood how to interpret the movements of the shadow, the sundial was an effective clock – at least -- on cloudless days.  The moondial was a good "idea."  But, to me, stretched the principle of the sundial a bit too far.  No matter.  In its day, the moondial was taken quite seriously as a timepiece.

            The problem with the moondial was that it was only really accurate on the night of the full moon.  And, of course, it had to be a clear night to allow the moonlight to shine directly on the moondial.   

            After the night of the full moon, the moondial “lost” time -- running 48 minutes slower every night.  48 minutes!  One week after the full moon, the moondial was running 5 hours and 36 minutes slow!  The sunlit part of the face of the moon becomes smaller after the full moon.   So, the light necessary to allow the moondial to tell time runs out a little over a week after the full moon. 

            During the new moon phase, the sunlit part of the moon is facing entirely away from the earth, so there is no moonlight at all.  After the new moon, it takes about a week before the moon’s face reflects enough light to get the moondial “running” again.  Of course, when it starts, about a week before the full moon, the moondial is running 5 hours and 36 minutes fast.

            The moondial fans of the past weren’t discouraged by any of this and made rather complicated charts to “correct” for the gains and losses in the displayed time on the moondial’s face. 

Simple (?!) Moondial Correction Chart

            Sadly, even with these charts, the moondial had one other drawback.  Because the moon’s orbit around the earth isn’t a perfect circle, the moondial doesn’t gain or lose exactly 48 minutes a night before or after the full moon.  So, even with the correction charts, the moondial is almost never accurate.

            The moondial was a great idea, but a “less than great” clock.  

What is a “Moon Bear”?

14 October 2014

The Short Answer (TSA)

            The “Moon Bear” roams the wilds of Asia including the Himalaya Mountains, China, India, Korea, Japan, and Russia.  The moon bear is average-sized among its fellow bears and lives, mostly, in trees.  This black bear has an unusual look about it and is believed to be a closer descendant of prehistoric bears than any other living bear species.           

            But why “Moon Bear?”  Because this, otherwise, completely black bear has a white crescent on its chest.  The white crescent shape seems to be “laying on its side” like a bowl.  But, no matter how it’s positioned, it reminds the viewer of a Crescent Moon.  

 Moon Bear

            “Moon Bear” is this species’ nickname.  Properly, the name is the “Asian black bear.”  The technical name for the moon bear is Ursus thibetanus.  These bears eat a wide variety of foods including insects, eggs, mushrooms, grasses, fruits, nuts, honey, grains and, even, garbage 

            The moon bear has a place in Hindu, Chinese and, particularly, Japanese folklore.  In Japan, this bear was given a name meaning “lonely person.”  In Northern Japan, the moon bear is called “yamoatoko,” the “mountain man.”  A story is told in which the mountain spirit gives this lonely bear a good luck charm wrapped in silk to wear on its chest.  When the charm is later removed, it’s left a mark -- the characteristic white crescent moon-shaped mark on the creature’s chest. 

            For all this affectionate folklore, the moon bear can be vicious toward humans and has been know attack people for no apparent reason.  This bear can inflict serious and, sometimes, fatal wounds with its claws and teeth. 

            In spite of its “lonely” reputation, this bear socializes quite easily.  The moon bear can mate and reproduce with a variety of other bear species.  Some time after the escape of a moon bear in Florida, an apparent hybrid between a moon bear and American black bear was captured in that state. 

            Although moon bears, generally, roam during the day (diurnal), they often become night roamers (nocturnal) when living close to human beings.  They easily adapt to the presence of a human population and are comfortable scavenging human garbage.     

M Grossmann of Hazelwood, Missouri & Belleville, Illinois

About the Author


C C A A

What is the “Kindly Moon”?

9 October 2014

The Short Answer (TSA)

            The “Kindly Moon” is the moon of the tenth month (or October) in the Chinese calendar.  As with other “moons,” the Kindly Moon isn’t just the Full Moon, but one, full cycle of lunar phases from New Moon to the next New Moon.

The Kindly Moon

            But let’s get to the question.  It’s fine to call this moon “Kindly,” but what’s so kind about it?  To the farmers of China, the “Kindly Moon” wasn’t about harvesting so much as it was about planting.  Centuries before western farmers planted winter crops, Chinese farmers were planting winter wheat, which grows during the winter season to be harvested in the spring. 

            The Kindly Moon brought the first sprinklings of light snow.  The weather was still warm enough to melt the snow quickly.  The moisture from the melted snow would soften the earth for planting and, also, moisten the earth enough to give the winter wheat seedlings a good start.

            The tenth month also includes the third and last yearly festival of the dead.  Not unlike the celebration of “All Souls Day” in traditional Christianity (2 November), during this time, the Chinese visit the final resting places of their ancestors.  This festival focuses attention on cemeteries.  Offerings, such as flowers, are left at grave sites and any needed maintenance of areas around the graves is completed before the onset of winter.

M Grossmann of Hazelwood, Missouri & Belleville, Illinois

About the Author

 

What is a “Tetrad of Lunar Eclipses”?

What is a “Tetrad of Lunar Eclipses”?

6 October 2014

ATTENTION: There will be a Full Eclipse of the Moon on October 7-8, 2014.  This is the second full eclipse of the moon in a “tetrad.”  A tetrad is a series of 4 eclipses of the moon each of which is spaced exactly 6 months apart.  The first eclipse of this tetrad happened on April 14-15, 2014 and got the popular name “blood moon.”  The 3rd eclipse will happen on April 4, 2015. 

NOTE: The full moon on October 7-8, 2014 is traditionally called the “Hunter’s Moon.”
See: What is a “Hunter’s Moon”?

The Short Answer (TSA)

            Before we go:

            A lunar eclipse happens when the earth comes between the sun and moon.  The earth literally casts a shadow directly on the moon.  Considering the speed of the moon, the shadow steals over the moon suddenly.  The whole process can be over in less than two hours.  A lunar eclipse always happens at the time of the full moon, so the sudden darkening of the moon stands out.

See: What is a “Lunar Eclipse”?

            What’s a “tetrad?”  Tetrad means “four” of something.  There are some good definitions of a “tetrad” of lunar eclipses, but some definitions make the whole thing sound more complicated than it is.  The “tetrad,” refers to four eclipses of the moon evenly spaced apart in time.  Between each of the four, there must be exactly six full moons, but no eclipses. 

            The first of the four happened on April 14-15, 2014.  

            After this last lunar eclipse, in April, there were six full moons.  Six.  No more.  No less.  None of the last six full moons were eclipsed.  But, during this, the 7th full moon, there will be another eclipse -- the second full lunar eclipse of the tetrad.  That one is just about to happen -- October 7-8, 2014. 

            Two eclipses down.  Two more to go.

            After the October eclipse, again, there will be six full moons, but none with an eclipse.  Then, on April 4, 2015, there will be a 7th full moon and the third full lunar eclipse of the tetrad.

            And you can probably guess where this is going.

            After the April 2015 eclipse, there will be another six full moons with no eclipses.  Then, on September 28, 2015, there will a 7th full moon and the fourth full lunar eclipse, which will be the last of the tetrad.

            Again, what’s special about the tetrad is the timing:  Four lunar eclipses evenly spaced apart.  Between each of the four eclipses are exactly 6 full moons.

            But something else made the last eclipse (the first the tetrad) special.  The eclipsed moon got a new name: “Blood Moon.”

See: What is a “Blood Moon”?

            As near as I can tell, this is the first time anyone has called an eclipse of the moon by the name “Blood Moon.”  But considering that the eclipsed moon always appears to be dark red, maybe “Blood Moon” isn’t such a bad name.

Lunar Eclipse or Blood Moon

            But if you’ve never seen the moon eclipsed before, you’ll be surprised to find out that, when the earth casts a shadow on the moon, the darkened part of the moon doesn’t disappear.  You can see it.  And it appears to be a dark red.

            I’ve been an amateur astronomer for years, but I’d never heard the term “blood moon” before.  I know it sounds old and mythological or like something from an ancient legend, but the “Blood Moon” is something new. 

            Or, at least, it was.  “Blood Moon” became such a popular name during the April eclipse, that, now, everybody’s calling this second eclipse of the tetrad a “blood moon.”

             I searched and found that a Christian pastor, John Hagee, may have started the ball rolling when he wrote a book describing the eclipses of this tetrad as the “Blood Moons.”  (Four Blood Moons: Something is About to Change)  Maybe that’s why the term first popped up.  Apparently, the moon is supposed to turn blood red just before the end of time.

            I, for one, hope that we’re not all heading for our “final” three eclipses.  But, one way or another, mark you calendars:

1st Eclipse:    April 14-15, 2014

2nd Eclipse:  October 7-8, 2014

3rd Eclipse:   April 4, 2015

4th Eclipse:   September 28, 2015

What is a “Hunter’s Moon?”

1 May 2014

ATTENTION: There will be a Full Eclipse of the Moon on October 7-8, 2014.  This is the second full eclipse of the moon of a “tetrad.”  A tetrad is a series of 4 eclipses of the moon each of which is spaced exactly 6 months apart.  The first eclipse of the tetrad happened on April 14-15, 2014 and got the popular name “blood moon.”  The 3rd eclipse of the tetrad will happen on April 4, 2015.

See: What is a Blood Moon? & Blood Moons, Eclipses, and Tetrads

The Short Answer (TSA)

For many of us, the Harvest Moon is a series of orange moons, full or near full, that appear in August and September of each year.  But the “technical” Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the fall (or “autumnal” equinox).  This equinox is the first day of autumn and falls on, or around, September 21st of each year. When we say “closest” to the first day of autumn, we mean the full moon closest before, or after, the first day of autumn.

Now, for the Hunter’s Moon.

The Hunter’s Moon is the first full moon after the Harvest Moon. If you are interested, the Harvest and Hunter’s Moon’s are unique in a rather technical way. Usually, the moon rises about 50 minutes later each day because of the speed of the Moon’s rotation around the earth. But that period becomes shorter in the fall.  During the time of both the Harvest and Hunter’s Moon, the moon rises only about 30 minutes later each day. This is something you or I aren’t very likely to notice, but it’s part of the technical definition of these “moons.”

There appears to be at least one reference to the Hunter’s Moon in England in the early 18th Century. But, in America, the name “Hunter’s Moon” is said to be of Native American origin. The city of Lafayette, Indiana holds a yearly festival in late September or early October called the “Feast of the Hunters’ Moon.”

By the way, is it "Hunter’s" or "Hunters’" Moon? I’m not sure. The actual full moon seems to be written Hunter’s, but the Feast is written Hunters’.

Feast of the Hunters’ Moon

M Grossmann of Hazelwood, Missouri & Belleville, Illinois\

About the Author