KidZone Science
Harvest Moon

This first full moon of September is known as the Harvest Moon because this is the time when grown crops are harvested. The Harvest Moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox.

This nickname is still commonly used today and occurs on or near the time of many harvest festivals around the world.

The farmer's almanac included nicknames for the full moon depending on what month they occured. Most of these nicknames were based on the names North American aboriginal people used. Although many tribes gave nicknames to the full moon, the most well known come from the Algonquin tribes who lived in the area of New England and westward to Lake Superior.