Birth of the Thunder Moon
July 2nd, 2019
From the Roman calendar month Julius, named for Julius Caesar in 44 BC.
July was originally named Quintilis and was the fifth month of an ancient Latin calendar. It was later renamed in honour of Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar reformed the Roman calendar (hence the Julian calendar) in 46 BC.
the first full Moon of Summer, the Algonquin tribes in what is now the Eastern USA called this the Thunder Moon because of early Summer's frequent thunderstorms.
They also called this the Buck Moon because early Summer is normally when the new antlers of buck deer push out of their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur.
In ancient times honeymoon referred to the time of year when bee honey was ripe and cured to be harvested from hives or from the wild, which made it the sweetest time of the year. This was usually around the Summer solstice at the end of June. The tradition of calling the first month of marriage the "honeymoon" may be tied to the custom of marrying in June, that the "honeymoon" is the sweetest month of the year, or from the custom of serving mead at the wedding and giving the couple enough honey wine to last their first month as newlyweds.
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Europeans called July's full Moon the Hay Moon or the Mead Moon. Mead is created by fermenting honey mixed with water, sometimes adding fruits, spices, grains, or hops. Another name for this full Moon is the honeymoon.
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For Hindus, this is the Guru Moon (Guru Purnima) and is celebrated as a time for clearing the mind and honoring the guru or spiritual master.