Hello Pretland Family,
Time flies by so fast right?
How was your September?
I hope the intentions you had for September came to fruition.
And now you have new intentions for October.
To celebrate the start of October.
I like to share with you the story (and meaning) behind the October full moon.
October’s full moon is commonly called the Hunter’s Moon, going back to European and Native American traditions.
Where hunters would use the light of the full moon to track down their prey and stock up for the coming winter.
Haha I know.
That sounds like something straight out of Game of Thrones right?
Medieval times.
No iPhones, no computers.
Only fur coats, hunting and villages.
Contrary to popular belief, the Hunter’s Moon isn’t bigger or brighter than usual.
It rises earlier, soon after sunset, which would give hunters plenty of bright moonlight to hunt by during the early evenings.
But catch this.
Did you know Hunter’s Moon is known by a far more morbid name - the Blood Moon?
(Don’t worry, there will not be vampires and werewolves coming out at night to kill you, scaredy cat.)
Hunters would capture foxes and other small animals who come out to graze on the fallen grains, as well as hunt down deer in the moonlight.
They would butcher their prey and preserve their meat.
Blood Moon is an excellent name for this month’s full moon, given that it was a final, bloody harvesting of meat before the winter months.
But moving away from the bloody and spookiness.
Here is something interesting that you may not know about.
This full moon is celebrated all over the world in different cultures.
In Chinese culture, the Full Moon is celebrated during the Mid-Autumn Festival, where people gather to celebrate by eating moon cakes.
There is also a festival in India that celebrates October’s full moon, called Sharad Purnima.
Devotees fast all day before offering delicacies to the Moon God under the moonlight.
So that is the story behind the Hunter/Blood Moon.
I hope you enjoyed reading it.
Jenny
P.S. Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts as well.
