February’s moon is the Snow Moon, named for the heavy blanket of snow upon the ground. It is also known as the Hunger Moon as food sources grew scarce in mid- late winter and the hunting conditions were difficult in the deep snow. To find nourishment during this harsh time people across the north would make bone soup by saving all the bones from their previous meals and putting them into a pot with snow. The snow would melt and then boil in time, mixing with the flavors from the bones. It was important not to waste any food source. The bone soup would help to warm them up as well as aid in their hunger. For this reason another name for February’s Full Moon is the Bone Moon.
Activity Connection:
You can try making your own bone soup. The next time you have a roast
chicken or meat save the bones and any extra bits. In a large soup pot add the bones, and although in olden times fresh produce would have been scarce at this time, at home you can add in a bit of carrot, celery, onion, and garlic to your pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil, then turn down and cover to cook for a few hours until flavorful.
At first you may wonder if trying to use all parts is worth it, yet for most of our time on earth we did just that. Food took such effort, from growing and harvesting, to hunting and gathering that using each part often meant the difference between having food on the table or not. The next time you are about to toss part of a meal in the trash, you can wonder if there may be another use for it.
About once every nineteen years February does not have a Full Moon, when this happens it is called a Black Moon or New Moon. During this time January and March often have two Full Moons, which are known as Blue Moons.
Picture Book Companions: Owl Moon by Jane Yolen The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter’s Wonder by Mark Cassino with John Nelson Snowflake Bentleyby Jacqueline Briggs Martin The Snowy Dayby Ezra Jack Keats Snowby Cynthia Rylant Tracks in the Snow by Wong Herbert Yee
These sweet snow moon cards pictured above are available in our shop, click on the image or here to get them.
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