December
Cold Moon
As the longest nights set in, the cold moon of winter.
Upcoming full moons
- Thursday, December 24, 20261:28 AM
- Monday, December 13, 20274:08 PM
- Saturday, December 2, 20281:40 AM
Times are in Universal Time (UTC) until your time zone is detected.
Also called
Long Nights Moon · Moon before Yule
Origin of the name
The barest name of the year, for the month that demands it: the cold moon, moon of the longest nights. Old Europe placed it before Yule, the solstice feast, the moment the year tips over and the light, too slowly to notice yet, starts coming back.
The story goes…
It was said that December’s full moon is the exact mirror of June’s. To the sun at its lowest answers the highest moon of the year. It climbs to the zenith, rules the sky for twelve hours, and its light on the snow is enough to read by. The longest nights are also the brightest.
The almanac’s word
When the sun stands lowest, the full moon stands highest. December is the month when the moon rules the sky.