Moon Culture

 

Paschal Moon

This year, Ramadan, Passover and Easter all converged in April. How did that happen? It has to do with the moon. Our moon. The presence in the sky that almost all of us can take in and admire. So, perhaps it is not a surprise that human observances might be based on how the moon appears to us at certain times. It is my understanding that the Islamic calendar is lunar based. A new month begins with the crescent moon in the morning sky. Since this calendar is exclusively based on the phases of the moon, the observance of Ramadan is a 'moveable' month which takes place at all times of the 'solar' year. Meanwhile, the Jewish calendar is also lunar based. Passover begins at the full moon. It also takes place in the Spring, so a hybrid sort of calendar is employed to time this observance of liberation from slavery. Easter takes place during Passover, and thus it has a similar timing--although not exactly the same as the Orthodox can be a week or several later (I'm not sure about this timing!)

New Moon

Looking East, the Chinese new year is called the Lunar New Year. That calendar is also moon based, so there is a range of dates for the new year to start. This is usually sometime from mid-January to mid-February. The new year begins with the new moon. 

Indigenous cultures of North America (of course, this continent was not called that by the original peoples) named the moons. The moons were named according to an important seasonal element critical to human survival such as Planting Moon and Harvest Moon; but also Fast Waterflow Moon and Drying-Up Moon. 

The moon helps humans to understand the seasons and years and the phases of the moon have a continual effect on our lives. Farmers and fishermen alike consult the moon for the timing of their forays into field and sea. Tides are influenced by the moon and farmers look to the phases of the moon to plan crop cultivation.  And we know full moons are blamed for all sorts of things!

The sun is such an obvious influence on our lives. It determines night and day and the seasons. We celebrate the solstices and equinoxes; the height of light and the return of light and the balancing points in-between. We have a general idea of where the sun will rise and set in our location at various times of the year. The moon is more subtle, since it is reflecting the sun's light. At one point, I thought I had figured out the path of the moon in just a yearly cycle only to realize the next year that it was definitely not the same. It seemed very mysterious. Then I looked it up and found out the the moon's path repeats every 18.6 years--kind of a long time to keep track! It also strikes me as a bit sad that even a long life includes only 4 or 5 moon path cycles. 

What I love most about the moon is that it is the embodiment of relationship. It reflects the sun and so its position between the Earth and the sun affects its illumination and our viewing. The Moon is held by the Earth's gravity and yet exerts its own pull on the Earth to guide the tides and more. It is a complex relationship story which takes 18.6 years to tell--and even then, the telling will be different for each trip. No wonder we humans look to the moon to help us express the journey of our lives. And perhaps to know that we might not be the big Sun, but we can still make our own beautiful contributions.

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On a/the Saturday of Ramadan, Passover and Holy Week, as I was waiting, I made this musical offering to the season. I imagine feeling the energy of the full moon. Please click here to see the video.