Get yourself READY

for the 2007 Harvest Moon shines on September 26

^^^ Shine On Harvest Moon

By Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth (1903)

Shine on, shine on harvest moon

Up in the sky,I ain’t had no lovin’

Since January, February, June or July

Snow time ain’t no time to stay

Outdoors and spoon,

So shine on, shine on harvest moon,

For me and my gal.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The Wolf Moon, the Snow Moon, the Worm Moon, the Pink Moon, the Flower Moon, the Strawberry Moon, the Buck Moon, the Sturgeon Moon, the Harvest Moon, the Hunter's Moon, the Beaver Moon, and the Cold Moon.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

They're really all the same Moon, of course, but long before the advent of modern calendars people named the full Moons of a year to keep track of time. These fanciful names have been handed down through the generations and they are still a part of modern Moon lore.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The name Harvest Moon applies to the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox (which this year was, Sept. 23rd). Until the advent of electricity, the harvest moon was quite important to northern farmers. On average the Moon rises about 50 minutes later each day throughout the year. However, close to the autumnal equinox the day-to-day difference in the local time of moonrise is only 30 minutes. The Moon will rise around sunset on this night and not long after sunset for the next few evenings. That extra stretch of evening light from the full Moon meant more time for harvesting crops -- essential work to be done before winter's cold set in. The Fall Equinox itself was often an occasion for celebration across Europe and North America. It represented the end of the harvest time - when the last of the grains were taken in and fruits such as grapes and apples were harvested. It was sometimes called "second harvest" or "wine Harvest."