- December 26, 2023 (7:33 PM) Cold Moon
This moon marks the start of the year's coldest months.
The full Moon for December is 100% illuminated on December 26, 7:33 P.M. (EST). This is the first full Moon after the winter solstice, and it falls right during Christmastime this year!
To our eyes, the Moon’s disk will appear fully illuminated a couple of days before a full Moon, so start looking on December 24 and 25 towards the east after sunset as it peaks over the horizon.
If you look up during the December full Moon, notice how it’s nearly at the top of the sky, tracing a long path through the night, akin to Santa’s sleigh! The winter solstice Moon takes the highest path along the sky and is above the horizon longer than any Moon—hence, it’s the longest night!
Conversely, near the summer solstice in June, the Sun is highest in the sky while the Moon has the lowest arc—hence, it’s the longest day!
This full Moon has also been called the Long Night Moon (Mohican), as it rises during the “longest” nights of the year
This name is doubly fitting because December’s full Moon shines above the horizon for a more extended period than most full Moons.
Other names that allude to the cold and snow include
Drift Clearing Moon (Cree),
Frost Exploding Trees Moon (Cree),
Moon of the Popping Trees (Oglala),
Hoar Frost Moon (Cree),
Snow Moon (Haida, Cherokee),
Winter Maker Moon (Western Abenaki)
Moon When the Deer Shed Their Antlers (Dakota)
Little Spirit Moon (Anishinaabe)
In Europe, ancient pagans called the December full Moon the “Moon Before Yule” in honor of the Yuletide festival celebrating the return of the sun heralded by the winter solstice
