How The Strawberry Moon Got Its Name

If you haven't heard of the strawberry moon, your first thought is probably something kitschy and adorable like an image of strawberry-shaped moon with a floppy green stem hat. Or a pink speckled sky scape that sparkles with the glittery goodness of a princess dress. Or, I don't know, maybe like Strawberry Shortcake herself doing a leap through the stars. But the truth is, the real reason why the strawberry moon is called the strawberry moon does not have anything to do with the appearance of strawberries. Sure, it might have a pink tint to it, but many full moons do from our hemisphere as they appear so low early in the night — it's basically just an illusion.

The real reason we call it the strawberry moon is because the Algonquin tribe did many, many years ago, according to Farmer's Almanac. Yeah, despite the fact that it sounds like a super modern millennial kind of name to give the moon, like the super duper moon, it's not our generation's doing. See, this moon is June's full moon, which is right around the time that the summer solstice begins. During this time, fruits become incredibly ripe, specifically strawberries. The Algonquin tribes called the moon the strawberry moon to remind themselves that it was time to pick the strawberries before they get overripe or eaten by animals. So yeah, basically the strawberry moon is just the old school tribe's iCal alarm.

And because strawberries aren't native all over the world, in places like Europe, the moon was referred to as the rose moon, due to its slightly rosy tint. And even more recently some people call the moon the honey moon, because June is such a popular marriage month. Get it, honeymoon? It's the moon of love, y'all!

So if you typically go all good-witch-ritualistic on a full moon, your might consider setting your intentions around love. Spend some time meditating on your heart and think about how you treat people and how you treat yourself. Make sure you're being good to yourself and those around you. And if you're in a relationship, you might consider amping up the romance for this special day.

Oh, yes, that's right, this strawberry full moon will be most visible at 9:11 a.m. ET on June 9. So you might want to consider a romantic breakfast gesture. Strawberry heart-shaped pancakes anyone? It's up to you how you spend your strawberry moon morning. Make a big thing out of it, having a viewing party, or sleep in and watch the moon spectacle on Instagram whenever you wake up!