by Amy Martin  www.Moonlady.com

Many seasonals and New and Full Moons fall on weekends this year, and several holidays coincide with lunar events. . . Full Moon weekends in March, April (Wesak!), July, August, and December (Winter Solstice!). . . Easter is set on the first Sunday after the first Full Moon after Easter. Since Easter this year falls on the 3rd day of the Full Moon phase, but the church only acknowledges the peak middle date, they are one in the same. . . Full Moon of Wesak (Buddha Full Moon) occurs on a weekend and coincides with lunar Beltane. . . Memorial Day is graced by a Full Moon. . . Winter Solstice falls on a Full Moon weekend and Autumnal Equinox is on a weekend during a waxing Harvest Moon. 

holidays ~ holy days ~ lunar ~ seasons & cross quarters ~ solar 

all times CST/CDT ~ all seasons for Northern Hemisphere

A Full Moon is defined as when the lunar face is 100% illuminated. A New Moon is when the lunar face is 0% illuminated. Those periods of illumination, or lack thereof, last nearly 3 days, hence the 3-day span indicated for both in this calendar. . . The original definition of Solstices (“Sun stands still”) is when the Sun rises and sets in the same spot on the horizonin its apparent east-to-west path across the sky. Winter Solstice is the southernmost point; Summer Solstice is the northernmost. Both those periods last 3 days and are indicated as such in this calendar. . . While I use the term Supermoon in the text, because that’s what folks read in popular media, the right and proper term is perigee-syzygy, which is way cooler. 

January

New Year’s Eve and Day coincide with a Super Full Moon. God help us. . . Crack o dawn penumbral lunar eclipse on Jan 31 on the Blue Moon, or second Full Moon in a month. A penumbral shadow is not deep enough to make the Moon look eclipsed. Instead, it turns the lunar face very to vaguely red, depending on the Earth’s weather conditions. Only the ramp-up is visible here due to moonset. In other words, a dud.

 

New Year’s Day

Jan 1 Sun

 

Full Moon ~ Cancer

Dec 31-Jan 2 — peaks Jan 1 Sun 8:24 pm

Super Full Moon at lunar perigee

Earth at Perihelion

Jan 3 Tue

closest point in Earth’s orbit around Sun for the year

 

Quadrantids Meteors

Jan 3-4, Tue-Wed

Moon glare

 

New Moon ~ Capricorn

Jan 15-17 — peaks Jan 16, Tue 08:18 pm

Micro New Moon at lunar apogee

 

Full Moon ~ Leo

Jan 30-Feb 1 — peaks Jan 31, Wed 08:27 am

Super Full Moon at lunar perigee

Wolf Moon, Old Moon

Blue Moon (2nd in a calendar month)

 

Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

Jan 31, Wed

• 4:51 am Penumbral Eclipse begins. The Earth’s penumbra shadow starts touching the Moon’s face.
• 5:48 am Partial Eclipse begins. Moon is getting dimmer.
• 6:51 am Total Eclipse begins – maximum dimness. Moon close to horizon; have free sight to west-northwest.
• 7:20 am Maximal Eclipse occurs when the Moon is close under the horizon.
• 7:23 am Moonset

 

February

The Christian Candlemas and pagan Imbolc fall on Goundhog Day, as always. . . Cross-quarter days pre-date calendars and were set on New and Full Moons. As a celebration of returning light, lunar Imbolc is associated with the New Moon halfway between Winter Solstice and Vernal Equinox. . . Asian New Year falls on a weekend. Hang on! Amy’s Red New Moon will be on Feb 16 Fri. . . About every 19 years, there is no Full Moon in February. Of course, that creates two Full Moons in Jan. or March.Sometimes referred to as a Black Moon, which is stupid.

Candlemas/Imbolc

Feb 2, Fri

 

New Moon ~ Aquarius

lunar Imbolc

Feb 14-16 — peaks Feb 15, Thur 03:06 pm

 

Partial Solar Eclipse

Feb 15 — 2:51 pm maximum eclipse

not visible in Dallas

 

Chinese/Asian New Year

Feb 15, Thur

 

March

A Full Moon starts the month and a Full Blue Moon ends it, with the 2nd one falling on a weekend. . . Expect Vernal Equinox events on the prior weekend.

Full Moon ~ Virgo

Holi Full Moon ~ Hindu

Feb 28-Mar 2 — peaks Mar 1, Thur 06:52 pm

Snow Moon, Hunger Moon

 

New Moon ~ Pisces

Mar 16-18 — peaks Mar 17, Sat 08:14 am

 

Vernal Equinox

March 20, Tue — peaks 11:15 am

 

Full Moon ~ Libra

Mar 30-Apr 1 — peaks Mar 31, Sat 07:37 am

Worm Moon, Sap Moon

Blue Moon (2nd in a calendar month)

 

April

The March Full Moon bleeds over into Easter, making a great Full Moon weekend. . . Later in the month are sacred Beltane and Wesak Full Moons falling on the weekend. A convergence of fertility and flowers with consciousness, both seeking the pearl of wisdom. . .  As a celebration of peak plant force and blooming, lunar Beltane (a cross-quarter day/May 1) is associated with the Full Moon halfway between Vernal Equinox and Summer Solstice.

 

Easter

Apr 1, Sun

 

New Moon ~ Aries

Apr 14-16 — peaks Apr 15, Sun 08:59 pm

Pink Moon

 

Lyrid Meteor Shower

Apr 22-23, Sat-Sun

Moon glare

 

Full Moon ~ Scorpio

lunar Beltane

Wesak Full Moon ~ Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and passage

Apr 28-30 — peaks Apr 29, Sun 07:59 pm

Flower Moon, Sprouting Grass Moon, Egg Moon, Fish Moon, Seed Moon

Moon peaks around sunset/moonrise

 

May

The Beltane/Wesak Full Moon of late April spreads on over into Beltane — it will be epic. . . Memorial Day falls right before a Full Moon.

 

Beltane

May 2, Wed

Eta Aquarid Meteors

May 10-11, Thur-Fri

perfect dark skies; no Moon glare

 

New Moon ~ Taurus

May 14-16 — peaks May 15, Tue 06:49 am

Super New Moon at perigee

 

Memorial Day

Mon, May 28

 

Full Moon ~ Sagittarius

May 28-30 — peaks May 29, Tue 09:20 am

Strawberry Moon, Corn Planting Moon, Milk Moon, Dyad Moon

 

June

Expect to see Summer Solstice events on the weekend after.

 

New Moon ~ Gemini

June 12-14 — peaks June 13, Wed 02:45 pm

 

Summer Solstice

June 20-23, peaks June 21, Thur 05:07 am

 

Full Moon ~ Capricorn

June 26-28 — peaks June 27, Wed 11:54 pm

Moon peaks around midnight

Buck Moon, Rose Moon

 

July

Nice weekend Full Moon with the unseen power of the Total Lunar Eclipse (not visible in Dallas). . . Cross-quarter days pre-date calendars and were set on New and Full Moons. As a celebration of peak plant force and harvesting, lunar Lammas is associated with the Full Moon halfway between Summer Solstice and Autumnal Equinox.

 

Independence Day/July 4th

July 4, Wed

 

Earth at Aphelion

July 6, Fri

furthest point in Earth’s orbit around Sun

 

New Moon ~ Cancer

July 11-13 — peaks July 12, Thur 09:49 pm

 

Partial Solar Eclipse

July 12 — maximum eclipse 10:01:05 pm

not visible in Dallas

 

Full Moon ~ Aquarius

lunar Lammas

July 26-28 — peaks July 27, Fri 03:22 pm

Micro Full Moon at lunar apogee

Sturgeon Moon, Thunder Moon, Mead Moon

 

Total Lunar Eclipse

July 27, Fri

not visible in Dallas

• 12:14 pm Penumbral Eclipse begins
• 1:24 pm Partial Eclipse begins
• 2:30 pm Full Eclipse begins
• 3:21 pm Maximum Eclipse
• 5:19 pm Partial Eclipse ends
• 6:28 pm Penumbral Eclipse ends

 

August

Super New Moon and Partial Solar Eclipse during the dawn hours on a Saturday should spark creative fires and fabulous dreams the Friday night before. . . Perseid Meteors peak on a weekend. . . Another Full Moon weekend.

 

Lammas

Aug 2, Thur

 

New Moon ~ Leo

Aug 10-12 — peaks Aug 11, Sat 04:59 am

Super New Moon at lunar perigee

 

Partial Solar Eclipse

Aug 11, Sat 04:59 am

10:01 pm Maximum Eclipse

not visible in Dallas

 

Perseid Meteors

Aug 12-13, Sun-Mon

perfect dark skies; no Moon glare

 

Full Moon ~ Pisces

Aug 25-27 — peaks Aug 26, Sun 06:58 am

Corn Moon

 

September

Autumnal Equinox occurs on a weekend in the glow of a waxing Harvest Moon. The period Sept. 22-24 between them will be powerful, with the Moon rising well before sunset. Magical days leading up to the Full Moon.

 

Labor Day

Mon, Sept 3

 

New Moon ~ Virgo

Sept 8-10 — peaks Sept 9, Sun 01:02 pm

 

Rosh Hashana

Sept 10-11, Mon-Tue (starts at sunset 9/10) ~ Jewish

Jewish New Year

 

Yom Kippur

Sept 19-20, Wed-Thur (starts at sunset 9/19) ~ Jewish

concludes 10 days of atonement that started on Rosh Hashana

 

Autumnal Equinox

Sept 22, Sat — peaks 08:54 pm

 

Full Moon ~ Aries

Sept 23-25 — peaks Sept 24, Mon 9:54 pm

Harvest Moon

 

October

Interesting coincidence of Draconid Meteors falling on a New Moon.

 

New Moon ~ Libra

Oct 7-9 — peaks Oct 8, Mon 10:47 pm

 

Draconid Meteor Shower

peaks Oct 8

perfect dark skies; no lunar glare

 

Orionid Meteor Shower

Oct 21-22, Sat-Sun

Moon glare

 

Full Moon ~ Taurus

Diwali Full Moon ~ Hindu

Oct 23-25 — peaks Oct 24, Wed 11:47 am

Hunter’s Moon, Blood Moon

 

Halloween/ Samhain

Oct 31, Wed

 

November

As a celebration of darkness and wide-open potential, lunar Samhain is associated with the New Moon halfway between Autumnal Equinox and Winter Solstice. . . Full Moon and Thanksgiving are together. When you want your holiday gathering to go over the top.

Day of the Dead

Nov 2, Fri

 

New Moon ~ Scorpio

lunar Samhain

Nov 6-8 — peaks Nov 7, Wed 10:02 am

 

Thanksgiving

Nov. 22, Thur

 

Full Moon ~ Gemini

Nov 21-23 — peaks Nov 22, Thur 11:41 pm

Beaver Moon, Frost Moon

 

December

Winter Solstice falls on a Friday and coincides with a Full Moon, making for fun celebrations.

.

New Moon ~ Sagittarius

Dec 6-8 — peaks Dec 7, Fri 01:21 am

 

Bodhi Day ~ Buddha’s enlightenment

Dec 8

 

Virgin of Guadalupe/Tepeyac Day

Dec 12, Wed

 

Winter Solstice

Dec 20-22, peaks Dec 21, Fri 10:28 am

 

Full Moon ~ Cancer

Dec 21-23 — peaks Dec 22, Sat 11:50 am

Cold Moon, Long Night’s Moon

 

Christmas

Dec 25, Tue

 

Astronomical dates and times are drawn from the extraordinary website and newsletter: Time and Date. The calendar of our cosmic lives.