What Is a Mourning Moon? Why You Should Care About Tonight's Full Moon
On the eve of Thanksgiving, Pagans will celebrate a traditional and lesser-known occasion known as the "Mourning Moon." Moonrise on Wednesday, which comes on the heels of September's "blood moon" and a supermoon in October, will begin at 5:44 p.m. Eastern, is the last time the moon is full before the Winter Solstice.
In the Pagan religion, the Morning Moon marks a time of cleansing, according to About, and with it comes a number of rituals designed to help Pagans rid themselves of baggage. Alternatively called the Fog Moon or Snow Moon depending on the region, the type of rituals practiced on Wednesday are meant to rid a person of bad habits.
Source: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Per Refinery29, in the Pagan tradition, autumn is a time to physically and mentally prepare for winter. For Pagans, the last phase of preparation in anticipation of colder months involves letting go of old things, habits or people. The rituals are largely symbolic, yet are thought to help Pagans embrace the new year unencumbered by attachment to negativity or grief.
Twitter users from multiple timezones captured and shared photos of the moon, some counted down the hours before the Mourning Moon and others pointed out the significance of the occurrence.
"Mourning Moon" in the Skyline at 4:42 CST. Last Full Moon before the Winter Solstice. #MourningMoon... http://tmblr.co/Z9f0Wn1yiPkjR
The full moon tonight Is Mourning Moon. The last full moon , bit of light before the winter solstice. Go look! pic.twitter.com/p9pOQNekQ0
A "Mourning Moon" tonight, the last Full moon before Winter Solstice. Looks beautiful reflecting on the ocean. #OBX pic.twitter.com/8p3x42c8Lg
The mourning moon. A time to let go of this year's troubles to open space for next year's goals. #lettinggo #mourningmoon
Real excited to cleanse my soul tomorrow under that mourning moon. I sure do have some mourning to do.
Tomorrow is the last full moon before winter aka the mourning moon. Makes sense.
Following Wednesday's Mourning Moon, the next full moon to brighten the sky will be on Dec. 25.
Source: George Rose/Getty Images