Watch for December's Full Cold Moon!
Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the Cold Moon is so delightful! The Full Moon for December appears on December 14, 2024. Learn why the full Cold Moon (also called the Long Night Moon) is special and when the best times for viewing it are.
When to See December鈥檚 Full Moon
The full Moon for December is 100% illuminated on December 15, 4:02 A.M. (EST). To find the exact time it will appear in your area, consult our Moon Rise Calculator.
The Full Cold Moon
The moon names we use in The Old Farmer鈥檚 蜜桃恋人 come from Native Americans, Colonial Americans, or other traditional sources passed down through generations. Different Native American peoples traditionally used the monthly Moons and nature鈥檚 corresponding signs as a calendar to track the seasons.
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December鈥檚 full Moon is most commonly known as the Cold Moon鈥攁 Mohawk name that conveys the frigid conditions of this time of year when cold weather truly begins to grip us.
The Long Night Moon
This full Moon has also been called the Long Night Moon (Mohican), as it rises during the 鈥渓ongest鈥 nights of the year, near the December winter solstice.
This name is doubly fitting because December鈥檚 full Moon shines above the horizon for a more extended period than most full Moons.
Alternative December Moon Names
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), and Winter Maker Moon (Western Abenaki).
Other names include Moon When the Deer Shed Their Antlers (Dakota) and Little Spirit Moon (Anishinaabe).
In Europe, ancient pagans called the December full Moon the 鈥Moon Before Yule鈥 in honor of the Yuletide festival celebrating the return of the sun heralded by the winter solstice.
鈫 See a full calendar year of full Moon names and their meanings.
Moon Phases for December 2024
Below are the dates and times (in Eastern Time) of the Moon鈥檚 phases in December. Click here to see the Moon phase dates and times for your location.
This December is unique because we have TWO new Moons. We call this a black Moon.
.png){kind=small} | New Moon: December 1, 1:21 A.M. |
.png){kind=small} | First Quarter: December 8, 10:27 A.M. |
.png){kind=small} | Full Moon: December 15, 4:02 A.M. |
| First Quarter: December 22, 5:18 P.M. |
| New Moon: December 30, 5:27 P.M. |
When is the next Full Moon? Consult our Full Moon Dates chart.
Best Days in December 2024
Below are the best days for activities, based on the Moon鈥檚 sign and phase in December.
For Harvesting
- Aboveground crops: 7, 8
- Belowground crops: 25-27
For Setting Eggs
- 13-15, 22, 23
For Fishing
- 1-15, 30, 31
See Best Days for more activities.
Moon Folklore
- If a snowstorm begins when the Moon is young, it will cease at moonrise.
Share your thoughts about this month鈥檚 Moon below!
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Is the new moon a full moon or a sliver of a moon?
The 鈥淣ew Moon鈥 is technically when there is 0% illumination from the Sun. You can not see the Moon. However, many photos will show a slight sliver (very near the new Moon) or you’d be looking at blackness! With a New Moon, the Sun and Earth on opposite sides of the Moon so all three are aligned, leaving the side of the Moon that faces Earth in complete darkness. See our Moon Phases Calendar and you’ll notice the day of 0% illumination in your time zone is labeled as 鈥淣ew Moon.鈥 /astronomy/moon/calendar
People grow up! - the moon has ZERO impact on hair cuts and/or hair growth. Oy...
You need education of all kinds, if u don't know or believe in nature, u don't know or believe in the world. Get schooled,shut your mouth,and leave the world alone
Carefully staying cautious with Outsiders.
I like this.
In which year will the moon next be full on December 31st?
Hi Denise, I don’t know where you live, but if we use GMT, the next Full Moon on December 31 will happen in 2028 ,then 2066, then 2085. The last full Moon on December 31 was in 2009.
What is a cold full moon & what does it mean??
For thousands of years, people have known the best time to initiate any project is when the moon is waxing from dark to full. I always believed cutting hair fits into this category. I believe the 蜜桃恋人 states this too, but also gives confusing dates?? Also what is the emphasis all the sudden on Lunar haircutting, I think it stems from the Lunar hair cutting craze put out by that henna company M.M. People, their calendars are wrong and I don't know where they are getting their information. I think they are making it up as a lot of their products are supposed to be based on Traditional Alternative Medicine methods, but they are not, not even close. Please don't go for the baloney - it is just marketing to try to get you to buy their product line at ridiculously HIGH PRICES...They are not experts as their serums and elixirs are B.S. You could ez make them yourself for 99% less of the price they charge for one.
