Snow Moon: origin of the name, symbolism and February full moon
The Snow Moon is the name given to the February full moon in North American almanacs. Origin of the name, rival names, the February with no full moon, Candlemas and simple gestures.
Key points
| Month | February (northern hemisphere) |
|---|---|
| English name | Snow Moon |
| Origin of the name | Recorded in the travel account of Jonathan Carver (1778); taken up by the Old Farmer's Almanac |
| Other names cited | Hunger Moon, Bear Moon, Raccoon Moon, Groundhog Moon |
| Approximate dates | 1 February 2026 (evening); 21 February 2027 (after midnight) |
| Curiosity | February can have no full moon: 1999, 2018, 2037 |
The full moon of the snows
The Snow Moon is the nickname for the February full moon. In the north-east of North America, where these names were fixed, February is often the snowiest month. Where we live, the name also evokes mountains, frozen gardens and clear nights at the end of winter. In the southern hemisphere, February is a summer month: the name describes nothing real there.
Like all names of this kind, it belongs to popular calendar lore. The Moon does not change shape or colour because it snows: it is an ordinary full moon, seen at a season when people like to pause and look up.
Who named this moon?
The name “Snow” appears in the list of twelve moons collected by the explorer Jonathan Carver and published in his travel account of 1778. Carver said he had gathered them among the Naudowessie, that is to say the Dakota, whom he had met in the Great Lakes region. In the nineteenth century, an American fraternal order, the Improved Order of Red Men, took up this list. Writers such as Richard Irving Dodge had already remarked in 1882 that these names looked more like settlers' names than Indigenous ones. This doubt still stands today.
For February, the Old Farmer's Almanac offers, depending on the nations cited, very different names: Eagle Moon (Cree), Bear Moon (Ojibwe), Raccoon Moon (Dakota), Groundhog Moon (Algonquin), Hunger Moon or Gaunt Moon (Cherokee). These names describe the same month, but not the same thing: the cold, scarcity or the return of animals. You will also meet “Hunger Moon” in popular lists, because the end of winter is when supplies run out.
February, the month that can skip the full moon
The cycle of phases lasts 29.53 days, and February has 28 (29 in leap years). It can therefore happen, rarely, that February has no full moon at all. This happened in 2018, with a full moon on 31 January and the next one on 2 March. Our calculation gives the same result for 1999 and for 2037. In such cases, January and March each have two full moons, which makes a calendar “blue moon” in each of those two months.
Depending on the time zone, the date can shift by one day: a full moon falling on 31 January at 2 p.m. in Europe is already 1 February in Auckland. Lists of “months without a February full moon” therefore vary from one source to another.
The sky and the snow
The February full moon still climbs high in the sky (about 50 to 60 degrees in Paris). On snow-covered ground, its light is multiplied: fresh snow reflects much of the light it receives (more than 80% under good conditions), which gives a mountain landscape an unusual brightness, enough to walk along a known path without a torch. This is what makes these nights so spectacular.
| Year | February full moon (Paris time) |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 February, around 11 p.m. |
| 2027 | 21 February, around midnight (night of 20 to 21) |
Approximate calculation, to be checked against an ephemeris before organising anything.
February in the traditions
Several festivals fall around the Snow Moon. On 1 February, Ireland celebrates Saint Brigid, a national public holiday since 2023. On 2 February, Christians celebrate the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, forty days after Christmas: this is Candlemas, with its blessed candles and, in France, its crêpes. Neopagans celebrate Imbolc on these dates. The historical links between these festivals are debated; see Celtic and Christian festivals.
In the eighth century, Bede the Venerable recorded that the Anglo-Saxon month of February was called Solmonath, which he translated as “cake month”, after the cakes offered to the gods. It is an old way of naming the same season.
Modern symbolism and gestures
In modern practices, the Snow Moon is associated with rest, patience, the gentle return of the light, and inner preparation before spring. Beyond that, no fact confirms these readings: they are images.
- Watch the Moon over the snow, well equipped, and head back indoors before you get cold.
- Take stock of the winter: what weighed on you, what warmed you.
- Sow on a windowsill (watercress, lentils) to see something sprout before spring.
- Candle in a glass holder, on a stable surface, never left unattended.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the February full moon called the Snow Moon?
Because, in the north-east of North America where the almanacs fixed these names, February is the snowiest month. The name was recorded by Jonathan Carver in the eighteenth century.
Can a month have no full moon?
Yes, but only in February, the shortest month. It happened in 2018, and according to our calculations it will happen again in 2037.
What is the Hunger Moon?
A rival name for the Snow Moon, recorded by some almanacs for the end of winter, when supplies run out. It describes a season, not a lunar phenomenon.
Is the Snow Moon linked to Candlemas?
The calendar brings them close together, but Candlemas is tied to Christmas (forty days later), not to the Moon. Its date is fixed, whereas the full moon changes every year.
Does the Snow Moon exist in the southern hemisphere?
The name has no seasonal meaning there, because February is a summer month.
Also read
The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to The Wheel of the Year.