Look Up

Easter is a “moveable feast” but is always held on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25. However, many Eastern Orthodox churches follow the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian, which makes their Easter between April 4 and May 8.

April’s full moon is called the Pink Moon because it’s associated with one of the first flowers that bloom when spring begins in the eastern and central areas of the nation, Phlox subulata, or more commonly known as moss pink. It’s also known as creeping phlox or moss phlox.

As with other full moons names, there are a few alternative moon names for the month of April.

A few describe the arrival of spring. For instance, the Algonquin, indigenous people of Eastern Canada, called it the Breaking Ice Moon. The Oglala, a subtribe of the Lakota, Native Americans who originally populated all of the Rocky Mountain ranges but were pushed out to Missouri and South Dakota, called it Moon of the Red Grass Appearing to describe a plant that sprouts heavily in the spring. The Dakota, Native Americans, called it the Moon When the Streams Are Again Navigable to describe the streams melting. The Tlingit, indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America, called it the Budding Moon of Plants and Shrubs.

Additional names describe the reappearance of certain animals, the Lakota also called it Moon When the Ducks Come Back while the Dakota called it the Moon When the Geese Lay Eggs. The Cree, North American indigenous people who primarily live in Canada, called it the Frog Moon. Lastly, the Anishinaabe, indigenous peoples that live in the Great Lakes region of both Canada and the United States, called it the Sucker Moon since this is when the sucker fish return to streams or shallow lakes to spawn. According to their legend, the fish comes back from the spirit world to purify bodies of water and the creatures living in them. They also used this name for February to honor all the sucker fish that fed the Anishinaabe peoples that helped them to survive winter.

Look Up appears in the weekend edition. If you have any astronomical questions or facts you’d like to share email news@smdailyjournal.com with the subject line “Look Up.”