Naming moons, such as January’s Wolf Moon, stems from various cultural traditions and indigenous practices that assign distinct names to each full Moon throughout the year.
These names often reflect seasonal changes, natural phenomena, or the behaviours of flora and fauna during different months of the year. Indigenous people and early civilisations also used lunar cycles to mark time, guide agricultural activities (looking at you, Harvest Moon), as well as navigate seasons.
The practice of naming moons not only served practical purposes, but also embedded a cultural connection between celestial events and our comings and goings here on Earth, fostering a deeper understanding and reverence for the natural world. Have you ever experienced anger, frustration, and resentment during the month of February? It could be because there’s a Black Moon… or so the superstition goes. You might also just be hungry and tired.
“There are a huge variety of names for the Full Moons of the year, which can be very localised,” says Dr Darren Baskill, an astrophysicist from the University of Sussex.
Today, these lunar names persist as a blend of historical legacy and a way to appreciate the rhythmic lunar cycles.
Why is January 2024's full Moon called a Wolf Moon?
“The January Full Moon is known as the Wolf Moon by some European cultures, due to the evocative calls of wolves as they search for food in the depth of winter,” says Baskill.
You can’t always see them, but a wolf’s howl can be heard for up to 10km (6.2 miles) in open tundra, so if a wolf is in your neighbourhood, you’ll certainly know about it. During the long, dark winter months when food is scarce, wolves will howl more frequently.
“Wolves were hunted to extinction in the UK just 250 years ago, being Britain’s last apex predator to go extinct. But their presence is still remembered today through the oral tradition of the names of the Full Moon,” Baskill explains.
Medieval Europeans and a few different native American tribes all settled on the name Wolf Moon for January, however, it's unclear as to who can lay claim to being the first.
Although there’s a lot that scientists still don’t know about wolf communication, this behaviour likely stemmed from a combination of factors, including heightened hunger and increased socialisation during, and just before, the breeding season. This haunting cry in the wintry landscape left a lasting impression on local communities, leading to the association between the January full Moon and the eerie, yet captivating, calls of these wild creatures.
Other names for the January full Moon
Other names for the January full Moon include the very literal Moon After Yule, Old Moon and Ice Moon. The name ‘squochee kesos’ was also used among the Algonquin peoples of North America, which means ‘the Sun has no strength to thaw’.
“On this occasion, the Moon is fully illuminated by the Sun at 5:54pm GMT on Thursday 25 January, 2024,” adds Baskill.
About our expert, Dr Darren Baskill:
Dr Darren Baskill is an outreach officer and lecturer in the department of physics and astronomy at the University of Sussex. He previously lectured at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, where he also initiated the annual Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.
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