Community Corner
December's Full Moon Arrives In Union City
Native American tribes chose several names for the full moon including cold moon, long night moon, the winter maker moon, and the snow moon.
UNION CITY, CA — December’s full moon is arriving between Christmas and New Year's Eve in Union City.
December’s full moon reached peak illumination Tuesday evening.
Unfortunately, the peak coincides with thick clouds.
The December full moon is known as the cold moon, a Mohawk name to describe what are typically frigid temperatures this time of year, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. Another name for the December full moon is the long night moon, a moniker given by the Mohicans because it rises so close to the winter solstice, the longest night of the year.
December’s full moon shines brightly over the horizon for longer than most full moons, The Almanac noted.
Other names also reference the cold and snow. The Cree called December’s full moon the drift clearing moon, the frost exploding trees moon and the hoar frost moon. The Ogalala called it the moon of the popping trees, the Haida and Cherokee tribes called it the snow moon, and the Western Abenaki tribe called it the winter maker moon, according to The Almanac.
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