Paschal Full Moon Happens Tomorrow Morning

The Full Moon happens tomorrow, March 27, at 5:27 a.m. EDT. This month's Full Moon is known as the Full Worm Moon. However, the March Full Moon has also been called the Crow Moon, Crust Moon, Sap Moon, and Lenten Moon. The first Full Moon of Spring, however, is usually designated as the Paschal Full Moon or the Paschal Term. Traditionally, Easter is observed on the Sunday after the Paschal Full Moon.  Following these celestial rules, we know that Easter can fall as early as March 22 and as late as April 25.

Full Moon names date back to Native Americans, of what is now the Northern and Eastern United States. The tribes kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to each recurring Full Moon. Their names were applied to the entire month in which each occurred. There was some variation in the Moon names, but in general, the same ones were current throughout the Algonquin tribes from New England to Lake Superior.

As the temperature begins to warm and the ground begins to thaw, earthworm casts appear, signaling the return of the robins. The more northern tribes knew this Moon as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signaled the end of winter; or the Full Crust Moon, because the snow cover becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night. The Full Sap Moon, marking the time of tapping maple trees, is another variation. To the settlers, it was also known as the Lenten Moon and was considered to be the last full Moon of Winter.

This time of the year, the sunlight is getting stronger, temperatures are slowly rising, and the frozen ground begins to thaw. You can tell the worms have begun to come awake when you find the little curly mounds of dirt on the ground. These mounds, or castings are part of nature's way of preparing the Earth for new growth. Then the flowers and herbs and trees and green grass suddenly burst out and let us know Spring is here.

It certainly hasn't felt or looked like Spring recently. Yesterday was the 12th consecutive day with a below-average temperatures across southwestern Connecticut. Quieter weather is expected the rest of the week, but we can't rule out an isolated sprinkle or flurry the next few days. Daytime high temperatures will reach the upper 40s, while nighttime lows drop into the low-to-mid 30s.

Paul