Why October month's full moon is called Hunter's Moon?

supermoon
Representational picture Reuters

After supermoon, Harvest Moon, blood moon and orange moon, now is the time for the Hunter's Moon. Yes, the full moon of October is called the Hunter's Moon. The full moon appeared on Wednesday night and lit up the night sky with its incredible brilliance.

Every time a full moon occurs it gets a new name. The names are mostly given based on the month that the full moon appears in. Thus, October's full moon is called the Hunter's Moon, which is the first full moon following the Harvest Moon.

Although this time the name of the full moon is quite unique, it doesn't really appear much different from the other full moons.

Many of these names of the full moons date back to hundreds of years when the Native Americans had come up with them. Later, the names were passed on to colonial Americans, when they reached North America.

Now, these names are not random, rather there is always a reason behind the names of the full moons. So, why is this one called Hunter's Moon?

Well, it was said that the Algonquin Native American tribes called the full moon of October the Full Hunter's Moon because it was the time to go to the jungle for hunting. Hunting was essential at this time of the year, as it was the preparation for the upcoming winter. Since the harvesters used to be reaped from the fields by this time, the full moon helped the hunters see their prey as well as the other wild animals, who had come to attack them, quite easily. This is why the October's full moon has been named the Hunter's Moon.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the earliest mention of the term "Hunter's Moon" dates back to 1710. It is also said that the Hunter's Moon also has some other names at some parts of the world; such as the Sanguine and Blood Moon.

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