To find out about The Full Moon Art Challenge and learn how to join in, visit the event page. Don’t forget to tag your art #FullMoonArtChallenge2024 so we can find it online.

If you’re joining in, share your Harvest Moon art on August 18th, 19th, or 20th.

Early Harvest

In the old German tradition, the August Moon is known as the Harvest Moon. Here’s some Harvest Moon Art:

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Harvest Moon?

If you’ve been reading the past moon blogs, you might remember that the harvest moon is not a monthly moon name in North America; it’s an additional title given to the full moon that comes the closest to the fall equinox. However, in parts of Europe and Asia, the name “Harvest Moon” is, indeed, one of the twelve monthly names.

Now, you might also be wondering why this Harvest Moon falls in August instead of in September or October, which would match it’s North American counterpart. The facts I found are a little fuzzy, but, as far as I can tell, in Europe and Asia, the “Harvest” in “Harvest Moon” refers specifically to the fruit harvests. While vegetables can be picked year-round (depending on the variety) August is the one month of the year where all the main fruit crops become ripe enough to harvest at the same time. Tree fruits will still be harvested throughout August and September, but August seems to be the best and last month for harvesting berries, making it the one seasons where any fruit can be collected and enjoyed.

See You in September

The next full moon will be September’s Wood Moon.

If you are participating in the Full Moon Art Challenge, share your Wood Moon art on September 16th, 17th, or 18th, with the actual full moon rising on the 17th.