A full moon rises over the neighbourhood.
With mostly clear skies on Sunday, Swan Hills had an excellent view of the Hunter’s Moon to brighten up the Thanksgiving long weekend. The Hunter’s Moon is the name given to the full moon that follows the Harvest Moon, which is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox. In most years, like this year, the Harvest Moon is in September, but the lunar calendar doesn’t always line up neatly with the Gregorian calendar.
Sometimes the full moon in October is closest to the equinox, making it the Harvest Moon. It is widely believed that this full moon was called the Hunter’s Moon because it signalled the time of year to go hunting to stockpile food for the coming winter. Deer and other prey animals are generally beginning to fatten up for winter, and with farmers having cleared out their fields during the harvest, hunters could easily see these animals rooting through the scraps left behind by the light of the Hunter’s Moon.
