December Full moon (Cold moon) 2024: Meaning and significance

The December Full Moon, also known as the Cold Moon, will be observed on December 15, 2024, around 09:02 GMT. As the name suggests, it is simply the full moon observed in December which marks the arrival of winter in the Northern Hemisphere countries. 

The cold moon is usually observed during the Winter solstice (the time of the year when the sun is at a maximum distance from the Northern hemisphere. This results in the shortest day and longest night). 

Origin and meaning of the name Cold Moon 

The term 'Cold Moon' became popular after Old Farmer's Almanac, a yearly American periodical, used it to refer to the full Moon in December. 

In the olden days, most people used to track seasonal changes by observing the moon phases in the sky or using the lunar calendar. The Native Americans did the same and came up with the name Cold Moon because it depicts the cold winter season. Colonial Americans also adopted this name with time.

Moon Phases in December 2024

New Moon: It will occur on Sunday, December 1 around 06:21 UTC.

First Quarter Moon: It will occur a week later on Sunday, December 8 around 15:27 UTC.

Full Moon (Beaver Moon): It will occur exactly a week later again on Sunday, December 15 around 09:02 UTC.

Last Quarter: It will occur on Sunday, December 22 at 22:18 UTC.

New Moon: December 2024 will witness the second new moon on Monday, December 30 at 22:27 UTC. 

Cold Moon alternative names and their meaning

Long Night Moon: The Mohicans (Native North American Tribe) were the first people to call the Full Moon in December the Long Night Moon. There were two reasons behind it. First, the Cold Moon is observed at a time of the year when nights are the longest. Secondly, the December Full Moon stays above the horizon for a greater amount of time than the other full moons. 

Moon before Yule: This name comes from the ancient Winter festival called Yule which was originally celebrated by the Germanic peoples. The Yuletide festival marks the return of the sun after the Winter Solstice.

Moon when the deer shed their antlers: If you did not know already, a deer can shed and regenerate its antlers completely. They shed their antlers due to certain hormonal changes that usually occur from late November to December. This name was first used by the Dakota tribe (Native American Tribe). 

There are some other names obtained from the general weather conditions in winter: 

• Drift Clearing Moon
• Frost Exploding Trees Moon 
• Oak Moon
• Moon of the Popping Trees
• Snow Moon
• Little Spirit Moon
• Hoar Frost Moon
• Winter Maker Moon

Interesting fact: The Full Moon in December was on the same day as Christmas (25th December) in the year 2015 and will once again be observed on the day of Christmas in 2034. 

The December Full Moon is followed by The January Full Moon or Wolf Moon.

Read more about December